ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

Skip to main content

S&P/TSX composite ends down almost 200 points, U.S. stock markets also slip

markets
Share
TORONTO -

Canada's main stock index closed down almost one per cent in broad-based declines Tuesday, similar to losses in U.S. stock markets a day ahead of the U.S. Federal Reserve's latest rate decision.

The S&P/TSX composite index ended down 193.69 points at 19,368.69 after trading as low as 19,246.77 in mid-afternoon trading.

The declines on the Toronto market came despite August inflation data out of Statistics Canada that came in lower than analyst expectations, which slightly eased expectations for the Bank of Canada's next rate hike. The Canadian data, however, was overshadowed by what's happening in other markets, said Portfolio Management Corp. managing director Anish Chopra.

“U.S. markets and what's happening in Europe are really driving a lot of the action. You're still getting high inflation readings all across Europe. If you look at the United States, investors are awaiting the Fed policy decision.â€

The Fed has long been expected to raise its policy rate by three-quarters of a percentage point on Wednesday, but the chances of an even higher increase have grown after last week's higher-than-expected inflation data out of the U.S., said Chopra.

“As more inflation data comes in, the chance of let's say a 100-basis-point increase tomorrow has risen.â€

The expectations of the impending rate hikes put pressure across an array of sectors Tuesday, as well as key commodities such as oil, gold and copper.

The declines included higher drops for growth-oriented stocks like Shopify Inc., down 5.2 per cent, and the wider S&P/TSX information technology index down 2.2 per cent, while the base metal index was down 1.6 per cent and the financial index was down 0.9 per cent.

In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average closed down 313.45 points at 30,706.23. The S&P 500 index was down 43.96 points at 3,855.93, while the Nasdaq composite was down 109.97 points at 11,425.05.

Canadian inflation data, which came in at 7.0 per cent for last month, was below consensus expectations of 7.3 per cent to slightly push down expectations of a half-percentage-point rate increase next month, said Chopra.

The easing of expectations of Canadian rate hikes, combined with rising expectations in the U.S., helped further push down the loonie, which traded for 74.93 cents US compared with 75.26 cents US on Monday.

“There's an issue in that the Bank of Canada may slow rate increases, but the U.S. will continue down their rate path and that's putting pressure on the Canadian dollar,†said Chopra.

The loonie has slipped from around 78 cents US in mid-August on both rate expectations and dropping commodity prices.

On Tuesday, the November crude contract was down US$1.42 at US$83.94 per barrel and the October natural gas contract was down 3.5 cents at US$7.72 per mmBTU.

The December gold contract was down US$7.10 at US$1,671.10 an ounce and the December copper contract was down a penny at US$3.50 a pound.

----

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 20, 2022.

CTVNews.ca ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

Since she was a young girl growing up in Vancouver, Ginny Lam says her mom Yat Hei Law made it very clear she favoured her son William, because he was her male heir.

An Ontario man says it is 'unfair' to pay a $1,500 insurance surcharge because his four-year-old SUV is at a higher risk of being stolen.

The province's public security minister said he was "shocked" Thursday amid reports that a body believed to be that of a 14-year-old boy was found this week near a Hells Angels hideout near Quebec City.

Local Spotlight

They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.

Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.

A Good Samaritan in New Brunswick has replaced a man's stolen bottle cart so he can continue to collect cans and bottles in his Moncton neighbourhood.

David Krumholtz, known for roles like Bernard the Elf in The Santa Clause and physicist Isidor Rabi in Oppenheimer, has spent the latter part of his summer filming horror flick Altar in Winnipeg. He says Winnipeg is the most movie-savvy town he's ever been in.

Edmontonians can count themselves lucky to ever see one tiger salamander, let alone the thousands one local woman says recently descended on her childhood home.

Stay Connected