03:30 PM EDT, 03/19/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Consumer stocks were lower late Thursday afternoon, with the State Street Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLP) and the State Street Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLY) each falling 0.6%.

In corporate news, DIRECTV said Thursday it filed a federal antitrust lawsuit to block the planned merger of Nexstar Media ( NXST ) and Tegna ( TGNA ) , arguing it would harm consumers. Separately, Nexstar and Tegna ( TGNA ) face legal action from a coalition of eight US states that are seeking to halt their proposed merger in federal court, Reuters reported Thursday, citing California Attorney General Rob Bonta. Nexstar shares fell 3%, and Tegna ( TGNA ) was down 1.2%.