02:01 PM EDT, 05/19/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Financial stocks declined in Tuesday afternoon trading, with the NYSE Financial Index decreasing 0.3% and the State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLF) off 0.5%.

The Philadelphia Housing Index was falling 1.3%, and the State Street Real Estate Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLRE) was up 0.4%.

Bitcoin (BTC-USD) was fractionally lower at $76,933, and the yield for 10-year US Treasuries was up 3 basis points at 4.65%.

In economic news, US pending home sales increased more than expected last month as home buyers apparently shrugged off mounting economic uncertainty. The forward-looking indicator of home sales based on contract signings increased 1.4% month over month in April, the National Association of Realtors said Tuesday. Analysts expected a 1% gain, according to a survey compiled by Bloomberg.

In corporate news, Blackstone (BX) shares were down 1.3% after Bloomberg reported Tuesday the company has dropped out of a consortium exploring a takeover of German media group Stroeer. Separately, Blackstone said late Monday it is forming a US-based joint venture with Alphabet's (GOOGL) Google to provide AI-focused data center capacity and cloud computing services. Blackstone said it will invest $5 billion in equity initially for the JV, which plans to bring its first 500 megawatts of capacity online in 2027 and expand further over time.

Lloyds Banking ( LYG ) is preparing to expand its US infrastructure financing business, including lending tied to the fast-growing data center sector, the Financial Times reported. The UK lender is aiming to build a US infrastructure bank focused on large construction projects and sectors such as green energy, while supporting UK corporate clients with US operations, the report said. Lloyds shares rose 0.9%.

Blue Owl (OWL) Co-Founder Doug Ostrover is selling his stake in the NFL's Washington Commanders back to the Josh Harris-led ownership group, Bloomberg reported. Blue Owl edged up 0.1%.