Toronto stocks fall as tech selloff counters BoC rate cut
TSX ends down 0.8% at 22,639.57
Tech sector declines 2.2%
BoC cuts policy rate to 4.50%
Bausch Health tumbles 23.1%
Updates at market close
By Fergal Smith
July 24 (Reuters) -Canada's main stock index fell to a near two-week low on Wednesday as pressure on high-flying technology shares outweighed support for the market from the latest Bank of Canada interest rate cut.
The S&P/TSX composite index .GSPTSE ended down 174.18 points, or 0.8%, at 22,639.57, extending its pullback from a record closing high last week and marking its lowest closing level since July 11.
"It's largely profit taking ... What you've generally been seeing over the past few weeks is those stocks that have done the best now doing the worst," said Joseph Abramson, co-chief investment officer at Northland Wealth Management.
The S&P 500 and Nasdaq slumped to multi-week lows after Tesla and Alphabet disappointed with lackluster earnings, prompting investors to question if the Big Tech- and AI-fueled 2024 equity rally was sustainable in the long run.
The Toronto market's technology sector was down 2.2%, while heavily weighted financials lost 0.7% and industrials ended 1.3% lower.
Canadian National Railway CNR.TO shares fell 3.2% after the company's second-quarter results missed estimates.
"The moves are countertrend in nature because both monetary and fiscal policy remain supportive of accelerating growth and earnings," Abramson said.
The Bank of Canada cut its key interest rate by 25 basis points for the second month in a row, bringing it to 4.5%, and said more reductions in borrowing costs were likely if inflation continued to cool in line with forecasts.
The utilities group, which is dominated by high-dividend paying stocks which could particularly benefit from lower interest rates, was one of just two sectors to gain ground, adding 0.6%.
Bausch Health Companies Inc BHC.TO was the biggest decliner, tumbling 23.1%, as the company said it was not considering a bankruptcy or insolvency proceeding of any kind.
Reporting by Fergal Smith in Toronto and Nikhil Sharma in Bengaluru; Editing by Shreya Biswas and Aurora Ellis
Related Assets
Latest News
Disclaimer: The XM Group entities provide execution-only service and access to our Online Trading Facility, permitting a person to view and/or use the content available on or via the website, is not intended to change or expand on this, nor does it change or expand on this. Such access and use are always subject to: (i) Terms and Conditions; (ii) Risk Warnings; and (iii) Full Disclaimer. Such content is therefore provided as no more than general information. Particularly, please be aware that the contents of our Online Trading Facility are neither a solicitation, nor an offer to enter any transactions on the financial markets. Trading on any financial market involves a significant level of risk to your capital.
All material published on our Online Trading Facility is intended for educational/informational purposes only, and does not contain – nor should it be considered as containing – financial, investment tax or trading advice and recommendations; or a record of our trading prices; or an offer of, or solicitation for, a transaction in any financial instruments; or unsolicited financial promotions to you.
Any third-party content, as well as content prepared by XM, such as: opinions, news, research, analyses, prices and other information or links to third-party sites contained on this website are provided on an “as-is” basis, as general market commentary, and do not constitute investment advice. To the extent that any content is construed as investment research, you must note and accept that the content was not intended to and has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such, it would be considered as marketing communication under the relevant laws and regulations. Please ensure that you have read and understood our Notification on Non-Independent Investment. Research and Risk Warning concerning the foregoing information, which can be accessed here.
