09:00 AM EDT, 03/26/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Financial stocks were declining pre-bell Thursday, with the State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLF) down 0.7%.

The Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X Shares (FAS) was 2.3% lower and its bearish counterpart Direxion Daily Financial Bear 3X Shares (FAZ) was up 2.3%.

Corebridge Financial ( CRBG ) and Equitable (EQH) said that they have agreed to combine in an all-stock merger valuing the combined company at about $22 billion. Shares of Corebridge Financial ( CRBG ) and Equitable were up more than 0.8% premarket.