09:25 AM EDT, 07/30/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Financial stocks were edging higher pre-bell Thursday, with the State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLF) advancing by 0.1%.

The Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X Shares (FAS) was 0.1% higher and its bearish counterpart Direxion Daily Financial Bear 3X Shares (FAZ) was up 0.3%.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria ( BBVA ) stock was up more than 6% after the company posted higher Q2 adjusted earnings and gross income.

ING Groep ( ING ) shares were up more than 5% after the company posted higher Q2 earnings and total income.

Intercontinental Exchange ( ICE ) said it has entered a definitive agreement to acquire MarketAxess Holdings ( MKTX ) for $167 per share in cash, representing an enterprise value of about $5.7 billion and an equity value of about $6.0 billion. MarketAxess Holdings ( MKTX ) stock was up more than 29% premarket.