Consumer stocks advanced late Friday afternoon, with the Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLP) up 0.1% and the Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLY) rising 0.4%.

In corporate news, AMC Entertainment Holdings (AMC) shares rose over 4%. AMC Theatres will release Taylor Swift's "Life of a Showgirl" movie across 540 locations in the US from Oct. 3 to Oct. 5.

FedEx (FDX) shares gained 2.7%, a day after the company reported fiscal Q1 results that topped Wall Street estimates.

US District Judge Steven Merryday in Florida dismissed President Donald Trump's defamation lawsuit against The New York Times (NYT) just days after filing, Bloomberg reported. An edited version of the lawsuit can be refiled within the next month, the report said. New York Times shares were 0.2% higher.

Lennar (LEN) shares fell 4.3%, a day after the company issued a fiscal Q4 delivery outlook below market estimates and reported weaker-than-expected Q3 results amid persistent housing market challenges.