Tuesday's Financial Winners & Losers

Merrill Lynch (MER Quote), Knight Capital (NITE Quote) and most other financial-sector stocks were higher Tuesday after the National Association of Realtors issued better-than-expected pending home-sales figures. Merrill Lynch was adding $2.68, or 3.2%, to $85.46. Knight Capital was up 47 cents, or 3%, to $16.32.

Subprime lender Accredited Home Lenders was surging more than 21% after securing a new $500 million warehouse facility from a "large commercial bank" and renewing an existing one for another $600 million. Shares were up $1.82 to $10.30.

Marshall & Ilsley (MI Quote) jumped after The Wall Street Journal reported that the Milwaukee-based bank is closing in on a sponsored spinoff deal for its Metavante subsidiary, with private-equity firm Warburg Pincus planning on taking a minority stake in the payment-processor. Shares were gaining $4.27, or 9.3%, to $50.13.

An AG Edwards analyst upped Kohlberg Capital's rating to buy from hold. Shares of the New York-based investment firm were leaping $1.33, or 8.6%, to $16.79.

Meanwhile, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange canceled a Wednesday shareholder vote on its proposed merger with Chicago Board of Trade (BOT Quote) and will reschedule the vote in light of IntercontinentalExchange's (ICE Quote) rival bid. The news sent CBOT's shares down $2.20, or 1.2%, to $186.80. CME was recently up $6.43, or 1.2%, to $550.31. ICE was off $3.43, or 2.7%, to $124.44.