Thursday’s session closed out in red territory. Merck, Disney, and Boeing led the Dow’s descent. Brands took a breather amid a variety of economic news. Retail sales were up in November. The Census Bureau said that sales increased 0.3%, after slipping 0.3% in October. Economists had expected a 0.5% uptick. Meanwhile, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported a dip in producer prices. The producer price index fell 0.8% in November following a 0.2% decline in October. The core data edged up 0.1% last month after being down 0.2% in October. Economists had anticipated a 0.5% fall in November and for core data to increase 0.2%. Elsewhere, the Labor Department said initial jobless claims decreased by 29,000 to 343,000 last week. Down from the previous week’s upwardly revised result of 372,000, economists had expected 370,000 new claims. Looking ahead, monthly data on consumer prices will be released tomorrow.