Sector Update: Financial

01:45 PM EDT, 03/18/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Financial stocks were lower in Wednesday afternoon trading, with the NYSE Financial Index decreasing 0.4% and the State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLF) shedding 0.6%.

The Philadelphia Housing Index was falling 1.4%, and the State Street Real Estate Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLRE) was down 0.8%.

Bitcoin (BTC-USD) was declining 3.5% to $71,397, and the yield for 10-year US Treasuries was up 3 basis points to 4.23%.

In economic news, the producer price index for final demand increased 0.7% in February, up from 0.5% in January, and above the 0.3% forecast by analysts polled by Bloomberg. Core PPI, which excluded food and energy prices, increased 0.5% in February from 0.8% in the month earlier, but higher than the 0.3% expected in a Bloomberg-compiled survey of analysts.

In corporate news, Citigroup (C/PN) (C) and JPMorgan Chase (JPM) are running a sale process for Bain Capital's stake in Bridge Data Centers, CNBC reported Wednesday. Citi shares rose 0.9%, and JP Morgan was up 0.3%.

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