09:20 AM EST, 01/09/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Financial stocks were edging higher premarket Friday, with the State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF ( XLF ) advancing by 0.3%.

The Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X Shares ( FAS ) was up 0.2% and its bearish counterpart Direxion Daily Financial Bear 3X Shares ( FAZ ) was 0.5% lower.

Banco Santander (SAN) shares were 0.5% lower after the company said it has completed the sale of a 49% stake in Santander Bank Polska to Erste Group Bank for 7 billion euros ($8.15 billion) in cash.

Blackstone (BX) is looking to secure roughly $2.6 billion in debt financing to support the merger of two power grid equipment suppliers, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter. Blackstone stock was 0.2% higher premarket.

MetLife ( MET ) said it has reorganized its business to support growth in asset management, making MetLife Investment Management a standalone reportable segment. MetLife ( MET ) shares were slightly advancing pre-bell.