Consumer stocks were higher late Wednesday afternoon, with the State Street Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLP) increasing 0.4% and the State Street Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLY) rising 0.5%.

In corporate news, Ford Motor (F) shares jumped past 14% after Morgan Stanley said the company had a "fairly high likelihood" of signing energy-storage solutions supply agreements with large commercial customers, including hyperscalers, in the next few months.

Stellantis (STLA) shares gained 2.6% after Bloomberg reported Wednesday that the company and other carmakers are in talks with BYD over potential agreements involving underused manufacturing plants in Europe.

Walmart (WMT) will fire or relocate about 1,000 corporate workers, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter and a memo sent to staff it viewed. Walmart shares were up 0.8%.

Vivid Seats (SEAT) could benefit from World Cup ticket sales in June, BofA Securities said in a note. BofA raised the company's price target to $8.70 from $7.25 and kept its neutral rating. Vivid shares jumped past 7%.