-- Financial stocks were advancing in Monday afternoon trading, with the NYSE Financial Index rising 0.5% and the State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLF) adding 1%.
The Philadelphia Housing Index was increasing 0.3%, and the State Street Real Estate Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLRE) was shedding 0.2%.
Bitcoin (BTC-USD) was rising 2.3% to $72,375, and the yield for 10-year US Treasuries was slightly lower at 4.309%.
In economic news, the pace of US existing home sales fell by 3.6% to a 3.98 million seasonally adjusted annual rate in March from 4.13 million in February, compared with a smaller decrease expected to a 4.05 million rate in a survey compiled by Bloomberg as of 7:30 am ET, data from the National Association of Realtors released Monday showed.
In corporate news, Goldman Sachs (GS), which reported higher Q1 earnings and net revenue pre-bell, is launching a new three-tranche offering in the US investment-grade debt market, with bond maturities spanning four to eight years, Bloomberg reported. Goldman shares were down 2%.
Blackstone (BX) is partnering with I Squared Capital on a potential offer for the core advertising business of German media group Stroer, Bloomberg reported. Blackstone shares gained 5.2%.
KKR (KKR) said its real estate arm plans to significantly ramp up property acquisitions in Japan, targeting a market it estimates at about 450 trillion yen ($2.8 trillion), as companies increasingly divest non-core assets, Bloomberg reported. KKR shares climbed 6.2%.