01:22 PM EDT, 03/26/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Financial stocks were decreasing Thursday afternoon, with the NYSE Financial Index shedding 0.7% and the State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLF) down 0.6%.

The Philadelphia Housing Index was falling 1.5%, and the State Street Real Estate Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLRE) was up 0.2%.

Bitcoin (BTC-USD) was declining 3.3% to $68,952, and the yield for 10-year US Treasuries climbed 8 basis points to 4.40%.

In economic news, US initial jobless claims rose to a level of 210,000 in the week ended March 21 from a 205,000 level in the previous week, as expected in a Bloomberg survey.

In corporate news, Corebridge Financial ( CRBG ) and Equitable (EQH) said Thursday they have agreed to merge in an all-stock deal, valuing the combined company at about $22 billion. Corebridge shares fell 1.3%, and Equitable was down 1.4%.