03:52 PM EDT, 09/26/2024 (MT Newswires) -- US benchmark equity indexes were higher ahead of Thursday's close as traders evaluated the latest set of macro data.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.5% at 42,139.5, while the Nasdaq Composite rose 0.6% to 18,181.1. The S&P 500 advanced 0.4% to 5,743.2. Among sectors, materials paced the gainers, while energy saw the steepest decline.

The US economy grew at an annual rate of 3% in the second quarter, unchanged from an earlier projection, according to a third estimate by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. Expectations were for a 2.9% print according to a Bloomberg-compiled consensus.

US durable goods orders unexpectedly held steady in August, while shipments dropped for the first time in three months, Census Bureau data showed.

Pending home sales in the US rose 0.6% last month, the National Association of Realtors said.

Weekly applications for unemployment insurance in the US declined, according to government data.

The US two-year yield rose seven basis points to 3.62%, while the 10-year rate added 1.3 basis points to 3.79%.

Costco Wholesale ( COST ) , Vail Resorts ( MTN ) and BlackBerry (BB) are scheduled to report their latest quarterly financial results after the closing bell.

West Texas Intermediate crude oil slumped 3.3% to $67.41 a barrel.