03:59 PM EST, 11/07/2024 (MT Newswires) -- US benchmark equity indexes ended higher Thursday as the Federal Reserve's monetary policy committee reduced its benchmark lending rate for the second time in 2024.

* The Federal Open Market Committee reduced interest rates by 25 basis points to a range of 4.5% to 4.75% from 4.75% to 5%, in line with a Bloomberg-compiled consensus. The FOMC announced a 50-basis-point cut in September.

* Weekly applications for unemployment insurance in the US rose for the first time in four weeks, while continuing claims reached the highest since November 2021, according to government data.

* December West Texas Intermediate crude oil closed up $0.67 to settle at $72.36 per barrel, while January Brent crude, the global benchmark, was last seen up $0.77 to $75.69 as the dollar eased after the Fed's policy committee cut interest rates as expected.

* Warner Bros. Discovery ( WBD ) logged the strongest quarterly gain in subscribers for its Max streaming platform in the September period, alongside surprise net income, even as revenue in the three months declined from a year earlier, dented by a weaker box office. The media and entertainment giant's shares surged 11%

* Match Group ( MTCH ) shares fell 18%, a day after the company issued a downbeat Q4 revenue outlook following a Q3 miss.