Consumer stocks were mixed Thursday afternoon, with the State Street Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLP) falling 1.1% and the State Street Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLY) increasing 0.8%.
In corporate news, Paramount's (PSKY) $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) may face lawsuits from US states to block the deal as soon as next week, Reuters reported. Paramount shares fell 4.1%.
PepsiCo (PEP) reported fiscal Q2 results above Wall Street's estimates on Thursday, although soft consumer spending in the US weighed on its North American performance. Its shares were down 2.9%.
Simply Good Foods (SMPL) lifted its full-year sales outlook on Thursday as it recorded better-than-expected fiscal Q3 results. Its shares rose 1.9%.