Consumer Cos Up Amid Deal Activity -- Consumer Roundup

Shares of retailers and other consumer companies rose amid deal activity.

Rum maker Bacardi agreed to buy Patron Spirits International, the maker of Patron tequila, for roughly $5.1 billion. It was the second multibillion dollar deal in the recent past involving high-end tequila, a growing category for distillers.

With Congress poised to pass a bill that would reopen the government, investors were migrating once more into economically sensitive areas.

In the latest gauntlet thrown down by the tech giant at the feet of retailers, Amazon.com opened a store at its headquarters in Seattle where people make purchases digitally rather than waiting at a checkout.

--Rob Curran, rob.curran@dowjones.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

January 22, 2018 16:46 ET (21:46 GMT)