April 25 (Reuters) - U.S. stocks opened sharply lower on

Thursday, dragged down by growth stocks after dour quarterly

results from Meta Platforms ( META ), while signs of persistent inflation

dampened hopes of the Federal Reserve cutting interest rates

anytime soon.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 408.83 points,

or 1.06%, at the open to 38,052.09.

The S&P 500 opened lower by 51.75 points, or 1.02%,

at 5,019.88, while the Nasdaq Composite dropped 337.49

points, or 2.15%, to 15,375.26 at the opening bell.