04:11 PM EDT, 04/15/2024 (MT Newswires) -- US equity markets ended lower Monday as traders awaited Israel's response to an attack by Iran during the weekend.

* US retail sales rose more than expected on a sequential basis last month as spending at gas stations and miscellaneous stores rebounded, Census Bureau data showed. Retail sales increased 0.7% in March following February's upwardly revised 0.9% gain, compared with a 0.4% increase expected in a survey compiled by Bloomberg.

* The National Association of Home Builders' monthly housing market index remained at a reading of 51 in April, as expected in a Bloomberg survey, and was well above a reading of 45 a year earlier. NAHB said that some buyers are continuing to wait until mortgage rates fall further before stepping into the market.

* West Texas Intermediate crude oil closed down $0.15 at $85.53 per barrel, while Brent crude, the global benchmark, was last seen down $0.23 at $85.53 after Iran's weekend drone and missile attack on Israel caused little damage.

* Tesla (TSLA) shares fell 5.6% after the firm told employees that it intends to lay off more than 10% of its workforce, Electrek reported, citing an internal email.

* Clearlake Capital sent a letter to the Blackbaud ( BLKB ) board with a new non-binding buyout offer of $80 per share, according to a regulatory filing. Blackbaud ( BLKB ) said Monday it will "carefully evaluate" the offer. Shares of Blackbaud ( BLKB ) were up 3.1%.