Sector Update: Financial Stocks Higher Thursday Afternoon

01:55 PM EDT, 09/03/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Financial stocks were advancing in Thursday afternoon trading, with the NYSE Financial Index and the State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLF) each adding 1.4%. The Philadelphia Housing Index was up 0.8%, and the State Street Real Estate Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLRE) added 1%. Bitcoin (BTC-USD) jumped 4.9% to $81,167, and the yield for 10-year US Treasuries fell 3.8 basis points to 4.756%. In economic news, Fed Governor Christopher Waller said Thursday he would support keeping interest rates steady if further signs of disinflation emerge, though he seemed willing to tighten monetary policy if price pressures intensify. The Institute for Supply Management's US services index rose to a reading of 55.4 in August from 54.1 in July, compared with expectations for no change in a survey compiled by Bloomberg. The S&P Global US services index was revised downwards to 56.5 in August from the 56.8 flash reading, as expected in a survey compiled by Bloomberg. In corporate news, Blackstone (BX) Private Credit Fund received an estimated $4.3 billion of repurchase requests in Q3, representing roughly 10% of shares outstanding, but will fulfill buyback requests representing just 5%, the fund said Thursday in a letter to investors. Blackstone shares were up 0.3%. Equity Bancshares (EQBK) has agreed to buy Lincoln Bancorp in a deal valued at $123.8 million, the companies said. Equity Bancshares rose 2.7%. UBS (UBS) is facing renewed scrutiny from the US Senate over Credit Suisse's handling of Nazi-linked accounts, with the Senate Judiciary Committee seeking responses after determining the bank had not fully addressed its earlier requests, Bloomberg reported. UBS shares were up 1.1%. Carlyle (CG), Bain Capital, Oaktree, and Nextalia are among the firms preparing to bid for a minority interest in a company holding the international media rights of Italy's Serie A soccer league, Reuters reported. Carlyle shares added 0.6%.