03:52 PM EDT, 03/26/2024 (MT Newswires) -- Financial stocks were higher in late Tuesday afternoon trading, with the NYSE Financial Index adding 0.4% and the Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLF) ahead 0.6%.

The Philadelphia Housing Index was adding 0.4%, while the Real Estate Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLRE) was up 0.2%.

Bitcoin (BTC-USD) was declining 0.2% to $69,788, and the yield for 10-year US Treasuries decreased 2 basis points to 4.23%.

In economic news, durable goods orders rose 1.4% in February, compared with a revised 6.9% drop in January, beating the consensus for an increase of 1%.

The Conference Board's measure of consumer confidence slipped to 104.7 in March from 104.8 in February, below the 107 expected in a survey compiled by Bloomberg.

The Case-Shiller National Home Price Index fell 0.1% in January before seasonal adjustment following a 0.4% decrease in December.

In corporate news, former Barclays (BCS) analyst Anca Lacatus, who won a sex discrimination lawsuit against the bank in 2021, is seeking much as 1.3 million pounds ($1.6 million) in compensation from the bank, Bloomberg reported Tuesday. Barclays shares were steady.

Visa (V) and Mastercard ( MA ) on Tuesday agreed to lower credit card fees and not increase them for a period of five years, as part of a settlement of a long-running case between the payments processors and US merchants. Visa shares rose 0.1% and Mastercard ( MA ) was up 0.2%.

AppFolio ( APPF ) shares jumped 9.2% after S&P Global's (SPGI) S&P Dow Jones Indices said Monday the company will replace Inari Medical (NARI) in the S&P MidCap 400.

First National ( FXNC ) said Tuesday it has agreed to buy Touchstone Bankshares in an all-stock deal that values Touchstone at about $47 million or $14.25 per share. First National ( FXNC ) shares fell almost 7%.