Consumer stocks were higher Friday afternoon, with the State Street Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLP) increasing 0.9% and the State Street Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLY) adding 1.5%.
In corporate news, Unilever (UL) is considering a bid for Thorne, a South Carolina-based company that sells dietary supplement pills, valued at up to $4 billion, the Financial Times reported. Unilever shares were up 0.3%.