🏦 XLF Gains as Retail Sales Beat and Fed Stability Reassure Markets, Blackstone Rises | Financials Sector Insight
(XLF) rose nearly 1% following stronger-than-expected June retail sales and Trump’s reassurance on Fed leadership. Gains from JPMorgan, BlackRock, Citigroup, and Blackstone highlight renewed investor confidence amid economic resilience and AI-driven strategy shifts.
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Below are AI-generated insights on moves in the financials sector, powered by MarketReader technology.

Thursday, July 17
XLF [+1.1%]
Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund
The Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLF) is currently up by nearly 1%. This uptick follows the release of strong U.S. retail sales data, which showed an unexpected rise for June, suggesting resilience in consumer spending amid economic uncertainties. Additionally, President Trump's recent denial of plans to dismiss Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell has alleviated concerns regarding political interference in monetary policy, contributing to market stability. Among the ETF's holdings, JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Citigroup, Blackstone, and BlackRock have all posted notable gains, with Blackstone focusing on leveraging artificial intelligence for growth and BlackRock leading a consortium in a significant infrastructure investment for Saudi Aramco.