Stock Market Update

[BRIEFING.COM] The major averages remain little changed from their opening values at midday. 

Most sectors hold modest gains and losses against a backdrop of nearly evenly split sector strength, though the consumer staples sector (-1.2%) is emerging as a laggard. 

A majority of its components trade lower, with Kroger (KR 62.13, -4.07, -6.15%) now the worst-performing S&P 500 name after beating EPS expectations but issuing just in-line guidance for FY26. 

Ironically, the sector is also home to today's best-performing S&P 500 name, Dollar General (DG 122.21, +12.32, +11.21%). The company posted a strong Q3 beat-and-raise, with net sales up 4.6% to $10.6 billion and same-store sales growth of 2.5% driven by traffic, aligning with robust results from discount peers Dollar Tree (DLTR 116.69, +3.77, +3.34%) and Five Below (FIVE 163.24, +0.10, +0.06%) amid consumers prioritizing value in a pressured environment.