08:51 AM EST, 12/31/2024 (MT Newswires) -- Consumer stocks were rising in Tuesday's pre-bell hours, with The Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR Fund ( XLP ) up 0.3% and The Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR Fund ( XLY ) was 0.5% higher.

Vera Bradley ( VRA ) shares were up over 2% after the company's largest shareholder, Fund 1 Investments, called for the company to explore strategic alternatives, including a potential sale or privatization.

Alibaba Group Holding's ( BABA ) cloud unit has cut prices by up to 85% on its large language AI models, Reuters reported, citing the company. Alibaba Group Holding ( BABA ) shares were 0.6% higher pre-bell.