04:08 PM EDT, 04/25/2024 (MT Newswires) -- US equity markets ended lower Thursday as traders weighed slower-than-expected economic growth and a post-earnings selloff in Meta Platforms' ( META ) stock.

* Real gross domestic product in the US rose at an annual rate of 1.6% in Q1, the Bureau of Economic Analysis reported, compared with the consensus for a 2.5% gain in a survey compiled by Bloomberg. In Q4, real GDP grew at 3.4%. Personal consumption expenditures advanced 2.5%, below market expectations for 3% growth and following a 3.3% increase in the prior quarter.

* Pending home sales index rose 3.4% in March following a 1.6% increase in February, the National Association of Realtors said. The consensus was for a 0.4% increase in a survey compiled by Bloomberg.

* June West Texas Intermediate crude oil closed up $0.93 to $83.74 per barrel, while June Brent crude, the global benchmark, was last seen up $0.17 to $89.19 following US economic growth data.

* International Business Machines ( IBM ) agreed to purchase multi-cloud infrastructure automation company HashiCorp ( HCP ) in a deal with an enterprise value of $6.4 billion. Shares of IBM ( IBM ) fell 8.1% while HashiCorp ( HCP ) rose 4.5%.

* Southwest Airlines ( LUV ) shares were down 7% after the company reported a wider-than-expected adjusted loss and revenue miss in Q1.