03:52 PM EST, 11/15/2024 (MT Newswires) -- Consumer stocks fell late Friday afternoon with the Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLP) and the Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLY) both dropping 0.9%.

In corporate news, Lifeway Foods ( LWAY ) shares rose 5.5% after Danone North America increased its bid for the company by 8% to $27 a share.

Unilever ( UL ) scaled back planned job cuts in Europe to 1,700 from the initial 3,200 and will hire about 1,000 employees for its soon-to-be-spun-off ice cream business, Reuters reported. The shares were little changed.

Spectrum Brands' ( SPB ) fiscal Q4 earnings declined more than expected, while sales beat estimates amid volume gains in home and garden, as well as global pet care. The shares fell 5.8%.

McDonald's (MCD) earmarked $35 million for marketing to help its US business recover from the impact of last month's E. coli outbreak, which was tied to the company's Quarter Pounders, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday, citing an internal message. McDonald's shares were falling 2.1%.