US equity indexes closed lower on Thursday amid a sell-off in technology stocks, and Iran threatened to close the Red Sea in case of attacks on civilian sites.
* US retail sales rose by 0.2% in June, as expected in a Bloomberg-compiled poll and following the previous month's revised 1.0% increase.
* US initial jobless claims fell to a level of 208,000 in the week ended July 11 from an upwardly revised 216,000 level in the previous week, compared with expectations for a level of 217,000 in a survey of analysts compiled by Bloomberg.
* The Iranian military warns "all infrastructure in the region will be crushed under steel blows" if the US carries out its threat to attack Iran's civilian sites, Al Jazeera reported.
* August West Texas Intermediate crude oil fell $0.84 to settle at $78.93 per barrel, while September Brent crude, the global benchmark, was last seen down $0.92 at $84.17.
* Abbott Laboratories (ABT) shares were up about 11%, the top gainer on the S&P 500, after lifting its full-year earnings outlook on Thursday as the healthcare firm reported Q2 results above market estimates.
* Shares of Sandisk (SNDK), Western Digital (WDC), and Seagate Technology (STX) were down as part of a larger decline in the tech sector. Sandisk shares fell 13%, Western Digital stock dropped nearly 9%, and Seagate shed roughly 10%.
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