04:00 PM EDT, 09/26/2024 (MT Newswires) -- US benchmark equity indexes ended higher Thursday as traders evaluated the latest set of macro data.

* 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. The consensus was for a 2.9% print in a Bloomberg-compiled consensus. In the first quarter, real gross domestic product rose 1.6%.

"A solid showing, at least in the rear-view mirror, of domestic activity reinforces the need for a tempered and patient approach to subsequent rate reductions" by the Federal Reserve, Stifel said in a note to clients.

* Pending home sales in the US rose 0.6% last month, the National Association of Realtors said Thursday. "A slight upward turn reflects a modest improvement in housing affordability, primarily because mortgage rates descended to 6.5% in August," said NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun. "However, contract signings remain near cyclical lows even as home prices keep marching to new record highs."

* November West Texas Intermediate crude oil closed down $2.02 to settle at $67.67 per barrel, while November Brent crude, the global benchmark, was last seen down $1.986 to $71.48 following a report that said OPEC+ will begin to return 2.2 million barrels per day of voluntary production cuts to market as Saudi Arabia, the group's leader, abandons its US$100 per barrel price target to regain market share, while Libya's two squabbling governments reached an agreement that should see its exports rise.

* Micron Technology ( MU ) shares were up 15% as the memory and storage product maker swung to a bigger-than-expected profit for its fiscal Q4 as mounting demand for artificial intelligence propelled revenue above Wall Street's estimates.

* Super Micro Computer ( SMCI ) fell 12.5%. The Wall Street Journal reported that the company is being probed by the US Department of Justice over accusations of accounting violations made by a former employee.