Financial stocks were advancing in Friday afternoon trading, with the NYSE Financial Index rising 0.4% and the Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLF) up 0.3%.

The Philadelphia Housing Index eased 0.2%, and the Real Estate Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLRE) was adding 0.8%.

Bitcoin (BTC-USD) was up 2.8% at $106,940, and the yield for 10-year US Treasuries was down 1 basis point at 4.62%.

In economic news, the University of Michigan consumer sentiment index was revised downwards to 71.1 for January from 73.2 in the preliminary estimate, compared with expectations for no revision in a survey compiled by Bloomberg.

The January flash reading of manufacturing conditions from S&P Global rose to 50.1 from 49.4 in December, compared with an expected reading of 49.8 in a survey compiled by Bloomberg.

The pace of US existing home sales rose by 2.2% to a 4.24 million seasonally adjusted annual rate in December from 4.15 million in November, roughly in line with an expected increase to a 4.2 million rate in a survey compiled by Bloomberg, data from the National Association of Realtors showed.

In corporate news, American Express' (AXP) Q4 results rose year over year and came in slightly ahead of market estimates, while the company projects results in 2025 to be higher than the previous year. Its shares were down 2.4%.

Visa (V) and Mastercard (MA) are facing a whistleblower complaint, alleging the companies failed to stop the flow of illicit revenue from child sexual abuse material and sex trafficking on the OnlyFans platform within their payment networks, Reuters reported. Visa shares were rising 0.6% and Mastercard was fractionally higher.

Blackstone (BX) said Friday that Blackstone Energy Transition Partners agreed to buy Potomac Energy Center for an undisclosed sum. Blackstone shares added 0.9%.