Equities in Toronto slid into minus territory, as investors did not warm to the latest move by the Bank of Canada on interest rates.
The TSX Composite Index stumbled 174.18 points to close Wednesday to 22,639.57.
The Canadian dollar dipped 0.12 at 72.41 cents U.S.
Teck Resources beat second-quarter profit estimates, helped by higher production of copper at its Quebrada Blanca mine in Chile and an increase in copper prices. Teck shares faded 60 cents by day’s end to $62.49.
The industrials sector lost strength, pulled down by a fall of $5.46. or 3.3%, in Canadian National Railway to $159.89, after the company’s second-quarter results missed estimates.
Health-care stocks were punched in the solar plexus Wednesday, Bausch Health Companies sustaining the most damage, $2.38, or 22.5%, to $8.05, while Tilray was clobbered 12 cents, or 4.6%, to $2.48.
Techs were also in for a rough day, with Celestica pasted $5.75, or 7.2%, to $73.97, while shares in Shopify fumbled $4.13, or 4.8%, to $82.24.
Utilities tried to build things back up again, with Transalta obtaining 44 cents, or 4.6%, to $10.01, while Atco gained $1.24, or 3.1%, to $41.74.
In consumer staples, Empire Company picked up 51 cents, or 1.4%, to $36.68, while Primo Water climbed 25 cents to $29.19.
Gold managed to make some headway, with Novagold forging ahead 14 cents, or 2.2%, to $6.43, while Alamos Gold inching up nine cents to $23.70.
On the economic schedule today, Statistics Canada’s new housing price index decreased by 0.2% in June as compared with May. Prices were down in 10 of the 27 census metropolitan areas surveyed in June and unchanged in 12, while prices rose in the remaining five CMAs.
The Bank of Canada today reduced its target for the overnight rate to 4.5%, with the Bank Rate at 4.75% and the deposit rate at 4.5%. The Bank is continuing its policy of balance sheet normalization.
ON BAYSTREET
The TSX Venture Exchange plunged 6.52 points, or 1.1%, to 576.92.
Eight of the 12 TSX subgroups were lower on the day, with health-care taking a thumping of 7%, information technology worse off 1.5%, while consumer discovery folded 1.3%.
The four gainers were led by utilities, up 0.8%, consumer staples, ahead 0.4%, and gold, edging 0.2%.
ON WALLSTREET
Stocks sold off Wednesday, weighed down by underwhelming reports from two mega-cap tech companies, leading to the S&P 500 and the NASDAQ Composite to post their worst session since 2022.
The Dow Jones Industrials withered 504.22 points, or 1.3%, to 39,853.87.
The much-broader index subtracted 128.61 points, or 2.3%, to 5,427.13.
The NASDAQ tumbled 654.94 points, or 3.6%, to 17,342.41
Shares of Google-parent company Alphabet fell 5% for their biggest one-day drop since Jan. 31 — when they dropped 7.5%. Although Alphabet reported a top- and bottom-line beat, YouTube advertising revenue came in below the consensus estimate. Meanwhile, Tesla shares declined 12.3% — their worst day since 2020 — on weaker-than-expected results and a 7% year-over-year drop in auto revenue.
Other major tech stocks fell in sympathy with Alphabet and Tesla. Nvidia fell 6.8% and Meta Platforms lost 5.6%, while Microsoft slid 3.6%.
Those reports mark investors’ first look at how mega-cap companies fared during the second quarter. Reports from these names are of special interest to Wall Street as this small cohort is responsible for the bulk of this year’s gains.
So far, though, the earnings season overall is off to a strong start. More than 25% of S&P 500 companies have reported their second-quarter earnings, with roughly 80% of them topping expectations.
Adding to investor concerns on Wednesday morning was weaker-than-expected U.S. manufacturing data. The U.S. PMI flash manufacturing output index fell to 49.5 in July, unexpectedly slipping into contraction territory as new orders, production and inventories declined.
Economists had forecasted a reading of 51.5, according to Dow Jones.
Prices for the 10-year Treasury fell back, raising yields to 4.28% from Tuesday’s 4.25%. Treasury prices and yields move in opposite directions.
Oil prices recovered 56 cents at $77.52 U.S. a barrel.
Gold prices scaled back $8.60 to $2,398.70