Financials Up Amid Deal Activity — Financials Roundup

Shares of banks and other financial institutions rose amid deal activity and risk appetite.

CVC Capital Partners agreed to buy U.S. credit manager Marathon Asset Management in a deal valued at up to an initial $1.2 billion.

Investors seem to be looking past political, central-banking and geopolitical uncertainty, and focusing on robust earnings and gross-domestic product growth, said one strategist.

"If one had said these are all the things that are going to happen over the next month, now will the market be higher or lower, you'd think it was probably going to be lower based on that outlook," said J.D. Joyce, president of Houston financial advisory Joyce Wealth Management. "Lo and behold, here we are closing at record highs again."

Investors will be particularly concerned about questions about Federal Reserve independence, which Fed Chair Jerome Powell may address during his press conference, Joyce said.

"It sounds like the Supreme Court, based on their questions [in the Lisa Cook case], are leaning more towards Fed independence," Joyce said.

Write to Rob Curran at rob.curran@dowjones.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

January 26, 2026 18:36 ET (23:36 GMT)