* June sales fall at apparel retailers, warehouse clubs

* Weekly jobless claims drop, continuing claims up

* Dow nearly flat; S&P 500 up 0.4 pct; Nasdaq up 0.5 pct

* For up-to-the-minute market news click [STXNEWS/US] (Updates to mid-morning)

By Rodrigo Campos

NEW YORK, July 9 (Reuters) - The Nasdaq and the S&P 500 rose slightly on Thursday as investors unloaded consumer staple and healthcare stocks and bought technology and commodity-related shares.

Lower initial claims for jobless benefits and weak monthly retail sales figures did not give direction to the market, which is now focused on earnings reports scheduled for the next few weeks. (For details, see [ID:nN09442078])

Alcoa Inc (AA.N: Quote, Profile, Research) rose 0.3 percent to $9.49 after posting a third consecutive quarterly loss Wednesday, though the deficit less than estimated. [ID:nN08471164] Materials shares in general were stronger, however, leading the S&P 500.

Alcoa results eased investor worries about corporate earnings, but the loss by the largest U.S. aluminum maker underscored the pain inflicted on corporate results by the severe recession.