01:44 PM EDT, 05/22/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Consumer stocks advanced Friday afternoon, with the State Street Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLP) increasing 0.1% and the State Street Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLY) adding 0.9%.

In sector news, US consumer sentiment declined to a fresh record low in May as people fear that high gasoline prices could erode their purchasing power, University of Michigan said Friday. The main sentiment index tumbled 10% to 44.8 from last month. The consensus in a Bloomberg-compiled poll was for May's print to stay unchanged from a preliminary 48.2 estimate.

In corporate news, Ross Stores ( ROST ) shares climbed past 6% after the discount retailer lifted its full-year outlook and reported better-than-expected fiscal Q1 results.

Imax ( IMAX ) shares jumped 15% after The Wall Street Journal reported the company is exploring a sale and has approached entertainment companies as potential buyers.

Estee Lauder ( EL ) shares rose 9% after the cosmetics company and Puig said late Thursday they have ended discussions over a potential merger.