09:20 AM EDT, 04/09/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Financial stocks were declining premarket Thursday, with the State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLF) down 0.5%.

The Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X Shares (FAS) was 1.8% lower and its bearish counterpart Direxion Daily Financial Bear 3X Shares (FAZ) was up 1.8%.

Whitestone REIT (WSR) said it has agreed to be acquired by Ares Management ( ARES ) for $19 per common share or operating partnership unit in an all-cash deal valued at about $1.7 billion. Shares of Ares Management ( ARES ) were down more than 1% pre-bell.

BMO Financial Group (BMO) said it has established the BMO Institute for Applied Artificial Intelligence & Quantum. The company's stock was 0.4% lower premarket.

TPG (TPG) has hired UBS Group ( UBS ) and Malayan Banking to help weigh options for Malaysian medical services provider Asia OneHealthcare, Bloomberg News reported, citing people familiar with the matter. TPG shares were up 0.5% pre-bell.