Stock markets fell on Thursday, breaking a winning streak that started late last week.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 135 points, or 0.5 percent, and the S&P 500 was down 11 points, or 0.3 percent.
For days, markets seemed to defy gravity as the United States grappled with a major resurgence of COVID-19 cases and many states began implementing new restrictions.
That changed Thursday as new data showed a rise in unadjusted initial unemployment claims and other key indicators, including continuing claims. The adjusted claims came to 1.3 million.
It was the 17th week in a row in which the adjusted claims topped out at over a million, and remained at roughly double the highest level on record before the pandemic.
A brighter spot of economic data was a 7.5 percent rise in retail sales in June, though analysts noted that sales may have pulled back since then as states imposed new restrictions.