Toronto markets fall as commodity prices ease
Updated at 1410 GMT
TSX down 0.4%%
Commodity-linked stocks lead declines
Fed meeting minutes due at 1400 ET
By Khushi Singh
May 22 (Reuters) -Canada's main stock index fell on Wednesday, pressured by a sell-off in energy and materials shares tracking lower commodity prices, while investors awaited minutes from the Federal Reserve's latest policy meeting to gauge the outlook on global interest rates.
At 10:10 a.m. ET (14:10 GMT), the Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index .GSPTSE was down 91.57 points, or 0.41%, at 22,376.59. The index looks set for its biggest percentage drop in three weeks if losses persist.
The materials sector .GSPTTMT led the sectoral declines, falling 1.9% as prices of most base and precious metals eased. GOL/ MET/L
Copper prices were hurt as profit-taking kicked in after the red metal hit record high levels on Monday, while gold edged lower as investors braced for minutes from the Fed's April 30- May 1 policy meeting, due at 1400 ET.
The energy sector .SPTTEN followed with a 1.5% drop as crude prices fell on expectations of higher-for-longer U.S. interest rates, potentially impacting fuel use in the world's largest consumer. O/R
"If crude continues to stay within its current range, then the odds favour a rally back towards resistance levels once again," said David Morrison, senior market analyst at Trade Nation.
Investors also looked ahead to the long-awaited earnings report and commentary from AI bellwether Nvidia NVDA.O after markets close.
Among individual stocks, copper miner Hudbay Minerals HBM.TO dropped 6.8% on plans to raise $300.2 million in an equity offering to help fund near-term growth initiatives at its Copper Mountain unit, among other purposes.
Shopify SHOP.TO added 4.4% after Goldman Sachs upgraded the e-commerce company's stock to 'buy', as per thefly.com, which pushed the information technology sector .SPTTTK higher by 1.4%.
Meanwhile, some economists said the Bank of Canada may dash hopes of a June interest rate cut and instead move in July, giving it seven more weeks of key data to confirm the recent trend of a slowing economy and continued easing of inflation.
Reporting by Khushi Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Ravi Prakash Kumar
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