01:36 PM EDT, 03/30/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Financial stocks were advancing in Monday afternoon trading, with the NYSE Financial Index adding 0.9% and the State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLF) rising 1.1%.

The Philadelphia Housing Index eased 0.1%, and the State Street Real Estate Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLRE) rose 1%.

Bitcoin (BTC-USD) was increasing 0.9% to $66,761, and the yield for 10-year US Treasuries was dropping 9.6 basis points to 4.34%.

In corporate news, Blackstone (BX) is launching a hedge fund for affluent clients, including doctors, lawyers and other professionals, Bloomberg reported. The new fund will focus on relatively liquid asset classes such as credit, equities and special situations, including one-time events like corporate spinoffs or supply-chain disruptions, as well as invest nearly 30% of its assets in other hedge funds, the report said. Blackstone shares gained 3.1%.