US benchmark equity indexes ended mixed Thursday as Wall Street parsed the latest economic data and remarks by Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell.

* Retail sales in the US barely grew in April as consumers pulled back on spending at gasoline stations and car dealerships, government data showed.

"There have been no significant signs of price pressures stemming from tariffs so far," TD Economics said. "The (US') temporary truce with China and the reduction in reciprocal tariffs should further ease pricing pressures in the near term."

* Powell said that inflation could be more volatile in the future than in the inter-crisis period of the 2010s, as the economic backdrop has changed "significantly" since 2020.

"Longer-term interest rates are a good deal higher now, driven largely by real rates given the stability of longer-term inflation expectations," Powell said. "Higher real rates may also reflect the possibility that inflation could be more volatile going forward than in the inter-crisis period of the 2010s. We may be entering a period of more frequent, and potentially more persistent, supply shocks -- a difficult challenge for the economy and for central banks."

* June West Texas Intermediate crude oil closed down $1.42 to settle at $61.73 per barrel, while July Brent crude, the global benchmark, was last seen down $1.47 to $64.62 as the United States nears a deal with Iran to limit its nuclear ambitions while the International Energy Agency said it sees oil demand slowing while supply is on the rise.

* Cisco Systems (CSCO) shares were up 4.9%. The networking equipment maker's fiscal third-quarter results surpassed the Street's estimates late Wednesday as demand for its products grew.

* Dick's Sporting Goods (DKS) agreed to acquire Foot Locker (FL) Thursday for an equity value of roughly $2.4 billion. Foot Locker shares surged over 85%, while Dick's tumbled 15%.