Stocks Slip Ahead of Fresh U.S. Economic Data: Live Updates

Stocks Slip Ahead of Fresh U.S. Economic Data: Live Updates

Here's what you need to know:

Is the economy showing progress? Fresh data will shed light.

China's economic rebound from the virus may be hard to sustain.

The pandemic has bolstered to start-ups that provide end-of-life services.

Catch up: Here's what else is happening.

Megan Searfoss, the owner of Ridgefield Running Company, at her new store in Darien, Conn., which is opening on Thursday.Credit...Chang W. Lee/The New York Times

A fresh reading on signs of economic recovery “” or a possible retreat “” will come in a pair of U.S. government reports on Thursday morning.

“‹“‹The Commerce Department will release the retail sales figures for June, and a modest rise is expected, thanks in part to federal stimulus checks and tax refunds. But the surge of coronavirus cases in states like California, Florida and Texas is raising the specter of another shutdown, which would be a major blow for store-based retailers.

Retail sales jumped 17.7 percent in May, the largest monthly surge on record. But that followed two months of record declines, and overall sales were still down from February.

Also coming Thursday is the Labor Department's weekly tally of unemployment claims. Economists on Wall Street expect the report to show that 1.25 million new claims for state unemployment