Sector Update: Consumer Stocks Decline Late Afternoon

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Sector Update: Consumer Stocks Decline Late Afternoon

, MT Newswires - 3:55 PM ET 4/15/2025 US Markets

03:55 PM EDT, 04/15/2025 (MT Newswires) -- Consumer stocks fell late Tuesday afternoon with the Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLP) down 0.7% and the Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLY) shedding 0.9%.

Redbook US same-store sales last week rose by 6.6% from a year earlier after a 7.2% increase in the previous week. Redbook cited satisfactory sales for seasonal products and Easter-related items and said consumers are stocking up as a precaution before possible tariff-related price increases, Redbook said.

In sector news, President Donald Trump reportedly suggested that he might consider tariff exemptions for some carmakers because they need "a little bit of time" to move the production of car parts to the US from Canada, Mexico, and other countries.

Separately, the US Department of Agriculture would move "very, very quickly" to approve state requests to remove soda and candy from food-stamp programs, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins.

In corporate news, Walt Disney ( DIS ) is likely to maintain its earnings guidance for the fiscal year despite the macro uncertainty weighing on some of its business lines, UBS said, projecting "solid" Q2 results with revenue rising 4.2% to $23 billion from a year earlier. Disney ( DIS ) shares added 0.6%.

MercadoLibre ( MELI ) will hire 28,000 additional employees with headcount set to reach 112,000 by the end of the year, despite challenging global conditions, Bloomberg reported, citing Chief People Officer Sebastian Fernandez Silva. MercadoLibre ( MELI ) shares rose 3.6%.

Albertsons ( ACI ) issued a full-year earnings outlook below Wall Street expectations even as fiscal Q4 results topped estimates. The shares dropped 7%.

General Motors ( GM ) was downgraded to equal weight from overweight by Barclays as the Trump administration's tariffs weighed on the industry's outlook, while Ford (F) was seen by as "modestly" preferable because a greater proportion of its vehicles are assembled in the US, Reuters reported, citing the brokerage. GM shares fell 1.3%, and Ford declined 2.6%.

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