Sector Update: Financial Stocks Higher Late Afternoon

03:58 PM EDT, 10/20/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Financial stocks were advancing in late Tuesday trading, with the NYSE Financial Index rising 1% and the State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLF) adding 1.1%. The Philadelphia Housing Index was rising 2.5%, and the State Street Real Estate Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLRE) was up 1.7%. Bitcoin (BTC-USD) was increasing 0.7% to $82,413, and the yield for 10-year US Treasuries fell 2 basis points to 5.12%. In economic news, US housing starts dropped to a four-month low in September amid declines in both single and multi-family units, while permits continued to trend downwards. Starts decreased 5.2% sequentially to a seasonally adjusted rate of 1.22 million units last month, its lowest level since May, the Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development said. The consensus was for a 1.9% rise to 1.31 million in a Bloomberg survey, based on an unrevised August reading. Pending home sales fell by 7.3% in September, well below the 0.5% fall expected in Bloomberg survey and following a 0.3% rise in August, according to the National Association of Realtors. State-level data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics Tuesday showed the unemployment rate fell in five states in September and held steady elsewhere. In corporate news, Equifax (EFX) shares rose past 11% after it reported a jump in Q3 adjusted earnings and operating revenue. MSCI (MSCI) shares gained 5.3% after it reported higher Q3 adjusted earnings and operating revenue. Prudential Financial (PRU) agreed to sell its operations in Brazil and Mexico to CNP Assurances for about $4.03 billion in cash as it continues its withdrawal from emerging markets, the company said. Prudential shares rose 1.2%. Nomura (NMR) is considering expanding its wealth management business into Switzerland, Bloomberg reported. Nomura shares were up 0.2%.