Sector Update: Financial Stocks Rise Tuesday Afternoon

02:31 PM EDT, 03/17/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Financial stocks were advancing in Tuesday afternoon trading, with the NYSE Financial Index and the State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLF) each adding 0.8%.

The Philadelphia Housing Index was increasing 0.5%, and the State Street Real Estate Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLRE) rose 0.7%.

Bitcoin (BTC-USD) was shedding 0.5% to $74,465, and the yield for 10-year US Treasuries was decreasing 2.2 basis points to nearly 4.20%.

In geopolitical news, the EU will restart ratification of its trade deal with the US after a months-long delay, Bloomberg reported. European Parliament members overseeing the process made the decision on Tuesday despite the US recently opening new investigations into EU trade practices that could result in additional tariffs, the report said. The lawmakers decided to move forward with the process, contingent on the US honoring the terms of the trade deal it struck with the bloc last summer, the report said.

In sector news, the US Securities and Exchange Commission is readying a proposal that would make quarterly earnings reporting optional and allow companies to report results twice a year, The Wall Street Journal reported. The proposal could be released as soon as April, with regulators already in discussions with major exchanges on potential rule adjustments, the report said.

In economic news, US pending home sales rose by 1.8% in February, rebounding from a 0.9% decline in January, and more than the 0.6% decrease expected in a survey compiled by Bloomberg. The monthly sales index fell 0.8% from February 2025, according to the National Association of Realtors.

For the four weeks ended Feb. 28, US private employers added an average of 9,000 jobs per week, down from 14,750 for the week ended Feb. 21, according to ADP Employment Change data.

In corporate news, Mastercard (MA) said Tuesday it has agreed to buy stablecoin infrastructure provider BVNK for up to $1.8 billion, including $300 million in contingent payments. Mastercard (MA) shares added 0.1%.

Visa (V) and Mastercard (MA) can appeal a court judgment by the UK Competition Appeal Tribunal that ruled their default multilateral interchange fees charged to retailers breach European competition law, Reuters reported, citing a ruling by the UK Court of Appeal. Visa shares were down 0.5%.

Blue Owl Capital (OWL) triggered the collapse of UK bridging lender Century Capital Partners after uncovering financial irregularities and demanding repayment, the Financial Times reported, citing people familiar with the matter and documents. Blue Owl Capital shares were up 4.7%.

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