04:24 PM EDT, 07/16/2026 (MT Newswires) -- 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 ( SNDK ) shares fell 13%, Western Digital ( WDC ) stock dropped nearly 9%, and Seagate ( STX ) shed roughly 10%.