Sector Update: Financial Stocks Advance Late Afternoon

03:57 PM EST, 02/18/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Financial stocks rose in late Wednesday afternoon trading, with the NYSE Financial Index increasing 0.4% and the State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLF) adding 0.7%.

The Philadelphia Housing Index was 0.6% lower, and the State Street Real Estate Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLRE) fell 1.4%.

Bitcoin (BTC-USD) was declining 1.5% to $66,436, and the yield for 10-year US Treasuries rose 2.7 basis points to 4.08%.

In economic news, new orders for US durable goods fell by 1.4% in December, following a 5.4% rise, and against expectations for a 2.0% decrease in a Bloomberg-compiled survey.

US industrial production rose by 0.7% in January, compared with expectations for a 0.4% gain in a Bloomberg survey.

The New York Federal Reserve's services index deteriorated to minus 25.7 in February from minus 16.1 in January, compared with the minus 14.2 anticipated in a Bloomberg survey.

In corporate news, Global Payments (GPN) shares jumped past 16% after it posted an increase in Q4 adjusted EPS and issued a 2026 EPS outlook above analysts' expectations.

JPMorgan Chase (JPM) plans to open more than 160 new US branches in 2026 as part of a major expansion plan, the Financial Times reported. JPMorgan (JPM) shares rose 0.8%.

Gemini Space Station (GEMI) shares fell 3.2% after Cantor Fitzgerald downgraded the company's stock to neutral from overweight and adjusted its price target to $8 from $14.

Synchrony Financial (SYF) shares added 0.8%. The firm said Wednesday it has expanded its partnership with Planet DDS to integrate its CareCredit financing into Planet DDS' Cloud 9 orthodontic practice management platform.

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