01:34 PM EDT, 05/19/2025 (MT Newswires) -- Financial stocks were advancing in Monday afternoon trading, with the NYSE Financial Index adding 0.4% and the Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLF) up 0.3%.

The Philadelphia Housing Index was down 0.6%, and the Real Estate Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLRE) was increasing 0.3%.

Bitcoin (BTC-USD) was shedding 0.3% to $105,323, and the yield for 10-year US Treasuries was rising 4.2 basis points to 4.48%.

In economic news, Moody's has downgraded the US government's credit ratings amid rising debt and fiscal deficits, but revised its outlook to stable from negative. The ratings agency on Friday lowered the world's largest economy's long-term issuer and senior unsecured ratings to Aa1 from Aaa, reflecting the increase in government debt and interest payment ratios over more than a decade "to levels that are significantly higher than similarly rated sovereigns."

The Conference Board's measure of leading indicators fell by 1% in April, compared with expectations for a 0.9% decrease in a Bloomberg-compiled survey and a 0.8% decline in March.

In corporate news, BGC (BGC) said Monday that it has agreed to repurchase nearly 16.5 million shares of its class A stock that is owned by the company's former Chair and Chief Executive, Howard Lutnick, who is now the US Secretary of Commerce. BGC shares jumped past 8%.