04:10 PM EDT, 06/20/2024 (MT Newswires) -- US benchmark equity indexes ended mixed Thursday as markets parsed the latest economic data.

* US housing starts unexpectedly fell last month as both multifamily building and single-family house projects skidded while permits also decreased, government data showed. Housing starts fell by 5.5% to a 1.277 million annual rate in May, compared with expectations for an increase to a 1.370 million rate in a survey compiled by Bloomberg.

* Weekly applications for unemployment insurance in the US declined less than market expectations, while the four-week moving average increased, government data showed. Initial jobless claims decreased by 5,000 to 238,000 in the employment survey week ended June 15, above a level of 235,000 expected, and the four-week moving average rose by 5,500 to 232,750, a second straight increase.

* July West Texas Intermediate crude oil rose $0.60 to $82.17 per barrel, while August Brent crude, the global benchmark, was last seen up $0.73 at $85.80 on expectations for rising demand during the busy summer season, offsetting weak industrial data from China.

* Qualcomm ( QCOM ) shares fell 5.2% after The Wall Street Journal reported an artificial intelligence laptop powered by the company's processor had trouble running some applications.

* Gilead Sciences ( GILD ) was up 8.5% after the drugmaker said its experimental twice-yearly Lenacapavir shot to prevent HIV was 100% effective in women in a late-stage trial.