Sector Update: Financial Stocks Lower Tuesday Afternoon

02:01 PM EDT, 05/19/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Financial stocks declined in Tuesday afternoon trading, with the NYSE Financial Index decreasing 0.3% and the State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLF) off 0.5%.

The Philadelphia Housing Index was falling 1.3%, and the State Street Real Estate Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLRE) was up 0.4%.

Bitcoin (BTC-USD) was fractionally lower at $76,933, and the yield for 10-year US Treasuries was up 3 basis points at 4.65%.

In economic news, US pending home sales increased more than expected last month as home buyers apparently shrugged off mounting economic uncertainty. The forward-looking indicator of home sales based on contract signings increased 1.4% month over month in April, the National Association of Realtors said Tuesday. Analysts expected a 1% gain, according to a survey compiled by Bloomberg.

In corporate news, Blackstone (BX) shares were down 1.3% after Bloomberg reported Tuesday the company has dropped out of a consortium exploring a takeover of German media group Stroeer. Separately, Blackstone said late Monday it is forming a US-based joint venture with Alphabet's (GOOGL) Google to provide AI-focused data center capacity and cloud computing services. Blackstone said it will invest $5 billion in equity initially for the JV, which plans to bring its first 500 megawatts of capacity online in 2027 and expand further over time.

Lloyds Banking (LYG) is preparing to expand its US infrastructure financing business, including lending tied to the fast-growing data center sector, the Financial Times reported. The UK lender is aiming to build a US infrastructure bank focused on large construction projects and sectors such as green energy, while supporting UK corporate clients with US operations, the report said. Lloyds shares rose 0.9%.

Blue Owl (OWL) Co-Founder Doug Ostrover is selling his stake in the NFL's Washington Commanders back to the Josh Harris-led ownership group, Bloomberg reported. Blue Owl edged up 0.1%.

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