Sector Update: Consumer Stocks Rise Late Afternoon
Consumer stocks were higher late Friday afternoon, with the State Street Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLP) rising 1.1% and the State Street Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLY) adding 2.4%.In corporate news, Lululemon Athletica's (LULU) billionaire founder Chip Wilson is starting a business focused on small athletic brands, Bloomberg reported. Wilson has hired an operating partner to be part of the new venture, which will include new brands and existing small brands, the report said. Lululemon shares were up 2.7%.Sony (SONY) and Honda's (HMC) 50-50 joint venture has decided to explore other opportunities to make the venture work after canceling plans for their proposed co-developed electric vehicle, Nikkei Asia reported Friday. The two companies are discussing non-EV products and services as alternatives and expect other uses for their EV technologies, the report said. Sony shares rose 1.4%, and Honda climbed 2.8%.Netflix (NFLX) shares dropped more than 9% after it released Q2 guidance late Thursday below market consensus. The streaming company also said that its Chairman and Co-founder Reed Hastings plans to step down when his term ends in June.Autoliv's (ALV) Q1 results exceeded Wall Street's estimates, while the Swedish automotive safety supplier affirmed its full-year outlook on Friday amid an uncertain business environment. Its shares jumped past 7%.