Financial stocks were decreasing in Tuesday afternoon trading, with the NYSE Financial Index fractionally lower and the State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLF) down 0.2%.

The Philadelphia Housing Index was shedding 0.4%, and the State Street Real Estate Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLRE) rose 0.1%.

Bitcoin (BTC-USD) was increasing 1.4% to $88,347, and the yield for 10-year US Treasuries was slightly higher at 4.12%.

In economic news, the Institute for Supply Management's Chicago PMI print was 43.5 in December, up from 36.3 in the month prior, and higher than the 39.8 expected in a survey compiled by Bloomberg.

US house prices rose 0.4% in October, according to the US Federal Housing seasonally adjusted monthly House Price Index, compared with a downwardly revised 0.1% decline in September.

Redbook US same-store sales rose by 7.6% from a year earlier in the week ended Dec. 27 after a 7.2% year-over-year increase in the previous week.

In corporate news, OceanFirst Financial (OCFC) and Flushing Financial (FFIC) have agreed to merge in an all-stock deal worth about $579 million to create a combined regional lender with $23 billion in assets and presence across the New Jersey, Long Island and New York markets. OceanFirst shares fell 5.5%, and Flushing Financial dropped 8.2%.

Walker & Dunlop (WD) shares added 0.4% after the company said it has arranged a $464.5 million loan to finance Atma Miami by Aman, a 4.25-acre bayfront property in the city's Brickell district.

MetLife (MET) shares decreased 0.2% after its MetLife Investment Management business said Tuesday it has completed its acquisition of PineBridge Investments from Pacific Century.