Consumer stocks were mixed Wednesday afternoon, with the State Street Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLP) increasing 0.5% and the State Street Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLY) shedding 0.9%.
In corporate news, Home Depot (HD) said Wednesday that Chair, President and CEO Ted Decker is taking a temporary medical leave of absence and is expected to return within the next few months. Senior Executive Vice President Ann-Marie Campbell and Chief Financial Officer and EVP Richard McPhail will oversee the operations of the office of the CEO during Decker's absence, the company said. Home Depot shares fell 2.4%.