US benchmark equity indexes ended lower Thursday as traders weighed the impact of President Donald Trump's new auto tariffs.

* Trump late Wednesday announced 25% tariffs on imports of automobiles and certain auto parts.

* The tariffs are expected to be a "hurricane-like" headwind to foreign and many US automakers, and could result in vehicle price increases, Wedbush Securities said.

* Pending home sales in the US rose more than projected in February, according to the National Association of Realtors, which forecast mortgage rates to fall moderately this year from 2024.

* Weekly applications for unemployment insurance in the US declined, while continuing claims fell more than expected, government data showed.

* May West Texas Intermediate crude oil closed up $0.22 to settle at $69.87 per barrel, while May Brent crude, the global benchmark, was last seen up $0.18 to $73.97 on an uncertain economic outlook after Trump promised to impose auto tariffs.

* Dollar Tree (DLTR) was up 10%. The discount retailer on Wednesday agreed to sell its Family Dollar business to investment management firms Brigade Capital Management and Macellum Capital Management in a deal worth roughly $1.01 billion.

* General Motors (GM) shares were down 7% while Ford Motor (F) fell nearly 4%. Of the two, GM may be more exposed to a potential impact from new tariffs as its production in Mexico and Canada is more than double than that of Ford's, UBS Securities said in a note.