-- Financial stocks were advancing in Wednesday afternoon trading, with the NYSE Financial Index up 0.4% and the State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLF) adding 0.9%.
The Philadelphia Housing Index was falling 2.1%, and the State Street Real Estate Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLRE) was decreasing 0.2%.
Bitcoin (BTC-USD) was shedding 0.2% to $74,031, and the yield for 10-year US Treasuries was rising 2.7 basis points to 4.28%.
In corporate news, Morgan Stanley (MS) on Wednesday posted stronger-than-expected Q1 results as sharp gains in investment banking and trading activity helped boost revenue to a record. Its shares climbed past 4%.