TSX ends lower as Fed rate cut spurs profit taking
TSX ends down 0.4% at 23,592.60
Energy falls 0.5%; oil settles 0.4% lower
Materials group ends down 0.8%
Rogers shares fall 2.7% after MLSE deal
Updates at market close
By Fergal Smith
Sept 18 (Reuters) -Canada's main stock index edged lower on Wednesday as lower oil prices weighed on energy shares and investors took stock of recent market gains, with some taking profit after the U.S. Federal Reserve began its interest rate cutting campaign.
The Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index .GSPTSE ended down 85.10 points, or 0.4%, at 23,592.60. On Monday, the index posted a record closing high at 23,702.07.
The Fed cut interest rates by half of a percentage point, kicking off what is expected to be a steady easing of monetary policy with a larger-than-usual reduction in borrowing costs that followed growing unease about the health of the job market.
"We've had a really nice rally into this expected release today. Oftentimes you get a sell-on-news type environment and I think that's a little bit of what we're seeing," said Mike Archibald, a portfolio manager at AGF Investments.
U.S. stocks also closed lower after choppy trading.
"The real story is going to continue to evolve around what happens in the macro environment," Archibald said. "Does the economy still manage to hang in and meet these soft landing expectations that the Fed has?"
The energy sector fell 0.5% as the price of oil CLc1 settled 0.4% lower at $70.91 a barrel.
The price of gold also fell. That weighed on metal mining shares, with the materials group ending 0.8% lower.
Industrials lost 0.7% and heavily weighted financials were down 0.3%.
In corporate news, Rogers Communications RCIb.TO reached a deal to buy BCE Inc's BCE.TO stake in Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE). Shares of Rogers fell 2.7%, while BCE's shares were up 3.3%.
Reporting by Fergal Smith in Toronto and Nikhil Sharma in Bengaluru; Editing by Leroy Leo and Will Dunham
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.
