Sector Update: Financial Stocks Rise Wednesday Afternoon

12:37 PM EST, 12/24/2025 (MT Newswires) -- Financial stocks were advancing in recent Wednesday trading, with the NYSE Financial Index up 0.6% and the State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLF) adding 0.7%.

The Philadelphia Housing Index rose 0.9%, and the State Street Real Estate Select Sector SPDR ETF fell 0.6%.

Bitcoin (BTC-USD) was shedding 0.1% to $87,358, and the yield for 10-year US Treasuries decreased 3 basis points to 4.14%.

In economic news, weekly applications for unemployment insurance unexpectedly declined, while continuing claims advanced, US government data showed Wednesday. For the week through Dec. 20, the seasonally adjusted number of initial claims fell by 10,000 to 214,000, the Department of Labor said. The consensus was for the print to stay flat at 224,000 in a Bloomberg poll.

Mortgage applications in the US declined for the second consecutive week amid lower refinancing activity, the Mortgage Bankers Association said Wednesday. The market composite index, which measures loan application volume, dropped 5% for the week through Dec. 19 on a seasonally adjusted basis, following a 3.8% fall the week prior. Without adjustments, the index slipped 6% on a weekly basis.

In corporate news, Blackstone (BX) shares rose 0.4% after the company said overnight that it expects to record more than $1 billion in realized revenues from investment realizations between Oct. 1 and Dec. 23, 2025.

Barclays (BCS) and NatWest (NWG) have moved into the second round of an auction for UK wealth manager Evelyn Partners, Sky News reported late Tuesday. Barclays (BCS) shares were up 0.6%, and NatWest (NWG) added 0.5%.

Visa (V) said in a late Tuesday regulatory filing that it approved the deposit of $500 million into the US litigation escrow account under its retrospective responsibility plan. Visa shares increased 0.6%.

MT Newswires does not provide investment advice. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.