Sector Update: Financial Stocks Rise Late Afternoon

03:57 PM EDT, 10/22/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Financial stocks were advancing in late Thursday afternoon trading, with the NYSE Financial Index rising 0.4% and the State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLF) ahead 0.9%. The Philadelphia Housing Index was climbing 4.1%, and the State Street Real Estate Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLRE) was up 1%. Bitcoin (BTC-USD) was falling 3.8% to $81,250, and the yield for 10-year US Treasuries dropped 18.5 basis points to 4.96%. In economic news, the Conference Board's measure of leading indicators held steady in September, versus expectations for a 0.1% decrease in a Bloomberg-compiled poll as well as a 0.1% decline in August. Initial jobless claims fell sequentially to 194,000 in the week ended Oct. 17 from an upwardly revised 200,000, compared with expectations for 200,000 in a survey of analysts compiled by Bloomberg. In corporate news, Blackstone (BX) led a $300 million debt package supporting Arlington Capital Partners' take-private of UK aerospace and defense components maker Gooch & Housego, Bloomberg reported. Separately, Blackstone reported Q3 distributable earnings Thursday of $1.32 per share, down from $1.52 a year earlier but above the FactSet consensus of $1.26. Blackstone shares were up 7.6%. Nasdaq (NDAQ) shares gained 7% after the company reported Q3 earnings and revenue that beat analyst estimates. Eagle Bancorp (EGBN) shares jumped past 15%. The company reported Q3 earnings late Wednesday of $0.79 per diluted share, swinging to profit from a loss of $2.22 a year earlier. Analysts polled by FactSet expected $0.34 per share. Webull (BULL) said Thursday it will launch extended-hours trading for some single-stock and exchange-traded fund options. Its shares were down 3.4%.