03:49 PM EDT, 07/17/2025 (MT Newswires) -- Consumer stocks rose late Thursday afternoon with the Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLP) increasing 0.9% and the Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLY) adding 0.5%.

In corporate news, Alaska Air ( ALK ) is considering refinancing $689 million in government loans it received in 2020 and 2021 to cover employee costs during the pandemic, Bloomberg reported. Alaska Air ( ALK ) shares rose 3.7%.

PepsiCo ( PEP ) shares jumped 7.6% after fiscal Q2 results showed a surprise revenue increase and an improved full-year earnings outlook amid easing foreign-exchange headwinds.

Uber ( UBER ) plans to deploy at least 20,000 Lucid (LCID) vehicles that will be equipped with Nuro's autonomous vehicle technology. Lucid shares surged 33%, and Uber ( UBER ) eased 0.2%.

United Airlines (UAL) shares rose 3.7%, a day after the company reported Q2 adjusted earnings that fell less than expected by analysts.