03:42 PM EDT, 07/16/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Consumer stocks were higher late Thursday afternoon, with the State Street Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLP) gaining 2.4% and the State Street Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLY) adding 0.3%.

In corporate news, Verizon Communications ( VZ ) will sell 274 company-owned retail locations as part of its restructuring efforts, which is expected to impact 3,000 employees, multiple media outlets reported Thursday. Verizon shares rose 2.5%.

Uber ( UBER ) said Thursday it has signed a merger agreement with Delivery Hero in a deal with an equity value of $14.8 billion, or $13.7 billion adjusted for Uber's ( UBER ) prior stake purchases. Uber ( UBER ) shares were up 1%.

United Airlines (UAL) raised the low end of its full-year earnings outlook and reported upbeat Q2 results, but the air carrier warned that rising oil prices are expected to add nearly $6 billion to its fuel costs this year. Its shares fell 2.4%.

Honda ( HMC ) informed its US dealers on Thursday that it's halting production of the Honda Prologue, the last electric vehicle in its US lineup, Bloomberg reported, citing an interview with Lance Woelfer, the company's head of US sales operations. Separately, Honda ( HMC ) plans to begin production of its UC3 electric motorcycle in Vietnam as early as September, shifting manufacturing from Thailand as it looks to capitalize on growing demand for electric two-wheelers in the country, Nikkei reported Thursday. Honda ( HMC ) shares were up 2.9%.