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Sector Update: Consumer Stocks Mixed Late Afternoon

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Consumer stocks were mixed late Monday afternoon, with the State Street Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLP) increasing 0.8% and the State Street Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLY) shedding 1.1%.

In corporate news, Paramount Skydance (PSKY) and Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) are facing a lawsuit from California Attorney General Rob Bonta led coalition of 12 state attorneys general seeking to block the companies' proposed $110 billion merger deal, the AG said. Paramount shares were up 1.7%, and Warner Bros. climbed 2.4%.

Casey's General Stores (CASY) shares gained 4.1% after Northcoast Research upgraded the stock to buy from neutral with a price target of $950 per share.

Papa John's (PZZA) CFO's departure likely suggests a sharp operational turnaround is unlikely in the near term at the pizza chain, BofA Securities said in a note. Last month, Papa John's appointed Chris Collins as interim finance chief, replacing Ravi Thanawala, who will take on the CFO role at American Eagle Outfitters (AEO). BofA downgraded Papa John's rating to underperform from neutral and decreased the price target to $34 from $42. Papa John's shares were down 0.8%.

New York Times (NYT) reporters were subpoenaed by the Trump administration as part of a leak investigation tied to the newspaper's reporting on security concerns involving a Qatari-gifted Air Force One aircraft, The Wall Street Journal reported. According to the report, four New York Times reporters were subpoenaed after the newspaper reported that President Donald Trump returned from Turkey on an older Air Force One over security concerns involving the Qatari-gifted jet. New York Times shares were up 0.3%.

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Sector Update: Financial Stocks Rise Late Afternoon

Financial stocks were higher in late Friday afternoon trading, with the NYSE Financial Index rising 0.6% and the State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLF) increasing 0.3%.The Philadelphia Housing Index was climbing 1.9%, while the State Street Real Estate Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLRE) was up 0.3%.Bitcoin (BTC-USD) was increasing 1% to $63,828, and the yield for 10-year US Treasuries rose 3 basis points to 4.569%.In corporate news, UBS (UBS) played a key role in fueling withdrawals from Blue Owl's (OWL) Technology Income fund after it advised clients to pare down their private credit holdings, the Financial Times reported. Investors began pulling large sums of money from the fund in Q4 2025 just after the Swiss banks told clients with large private credit holdings to reduce their positions, the report said. UBS shares rose 0.5%, and Blue Owl was up 1.1%.Apollo Global Management (APO) launched a $7.65 billion bid for London-based airline EasyJet on Friday, modestly outbidding rival financial house Castlelake, Reuters and Bloomberg reported. Separately, Apollo has agreed to invest 3 billion euros ($3.4 billion) for a minority stake in a newly established entity holding Bayer's long-acting reversible contraceptives business, the companies said Friday. Apollo's shares were up 0.7%.Circle Internet Group (CRCL) received approval from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency to establish First National Digital Currency Bank, which will operate under the name Circle National Trust. Circle shares gained 4.5%.Jackson Financial (JXN) shares climbed 6% after Jefferies upgraded the stock to buy from hold and raised the price target to $140 from $120.

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Sectors

Sector Update: Energy Stocks Advance Late Afternoon

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Sector Update: Healthcare Stocks Decline Late Afternoon

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