03:49 PM EDT, 03/27/2024 (MT Newswires) -- US benchmark equity indexes were higher ahead of Wednesday's close, as investors awaited key macro reports scheduled to be released Thursday, including a fresh reading on fourth-quarter economic growth.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 1.1% at 39,715.1, while the S&P 500 rose 0.7% to 5,240.5. The Nasdaq Composite added 0.4% to 16,379.6. Among sectors, utilities paced the gainers, followed by real estate. Only communication services was in the red.

Official data are likely to show Thursday that the US economy grew at a 3.2% annualized rate in the December quarter, according to a Bloomberg-compiled consensus. That would mark an unchanged reading captured in a second estimate released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis last month.

The University of Michigan's consumer sentiment report for March and the National Association of Realtors' pending home sales data for February are also slated for a Thursday release.

The US 10-year yield fell four basis points to 4.19%, while the two-year rate slid 2.7 basis points to 4.57%.

Jefferies Financial Group ( JEF ) , RH (RH), H. B. Fuller ( FUL ) and Sprinklr ( CXM ) are among the companies scheduled to report their latest financial results after the closing bell.

West Texas Intermediate crude was little changed at $81.64 per barrel.