North American stocks ended lower on Wednesday, with the Nasdaq falling 1% as technology shares declined and weak demand in a 10-year Treasury auction stoked investor jitters in choppy trade. Canada’s main stock index fell to a near six-week low, despite a sharp increase in the shares of Shopify after its earnings report.
U.S. indexes started the day higher with a surge in tech shares, and both began to lose steam in afternoon trading. With investors still nervous after a recent steep selloff in global stocks, equities pared gains further after the Treasury auction.
The S&P 500 technology index ended down 1.4% and was the biggest drag on the benchmark index.
“There’s just a lot to worry about over the next eight weeks or so, so I’m expecting more volatility. I wouldn’t be surprised if after a few days of rally you have another small selloff,” said Peter Tuz, president of Chase Investment Counsel in Charlottesville, Virginia.
The yield on benchmark U.S. 10-year notes rose 7 basis points to 3.958%, from 3.888% late on Tuesday.
Investors have been worried about a possible U.S. recession and weaker forecasts from some big U.S. companies, among other factors.
Lindsey Bell, chief strategist at 248 Ventures in Charlotte, North Carolina, said investors also may be taking profits after Tuesday’s rebound in stocks.
“You don’t just have the fall we had on Monday and it’s done. You typically test the lows again before we can move out of this downtrend,” she said.
On Monday, the Nasdaq and S&P 500 fell at least 3% each.
Stocks got early support Wednesday following comments from Bank of Japan (BOJ) Deputy Governor Shinichi Uchida that the central bank would not raise rates when financial markets are unstable.
The BOJ’s surprise rate hike on July 31 to a level unseen in 15 years had sparked a global stocks rout as investors unwound their sharp yen carry trade positions following a surge in the low-yielding currency, widely used for acquiring high-yielding assets.
The Nikkei Wednesday rose 1%, adding to Tuesday’s 10% rebound from Monday’s 12.4% sell-off.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 234.21 points, or 0.6%, to 38,763.45, the S&P 500 lost 40.53 points, or 0.77%, to 5,199.5 and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 171.05 points, or 1.05%, to 16,195.81.
The Toronto Stock Exchange’s S&P/TSX composite index ended down 98.41 points, or 0.5%, at 21,880.95. It was the fourth straight day of declines for the index, the longest daily losing streak since April, after an earlier attempt to rally petered out.
The materials group lost 3.1% as gold and copper prices fell.
The consumer staples sector was down 1.5% and heavily weighted financials ended 1.1% lower.
Technology was a bright spot in Toronto, adding 3.3%, as the shares of Shopify Inc surged 17.9% after the e-commerce company beat analysts’ estimates for second-quarter revenue.
Energy shares in Toronto also advanced, adding 1.3%, as the price of oil settled 2.8% higher at US$75.23 a barrel after data showed a bigger-than-expected draw in U.S. crude stockpiles.
Suncor Energy Inc was up 4.4% after the oil producer beat quarterly earnings estimates.
In the U.S., shares of Walt Disney fell 4.5% as it predicted a “moderation in demand” at its theme park business in the coming quarters.
Super Micro Computer shares dropped 20.1% after it reported quarterly adjusted gross margins below estimates. Rival Dell Technologies dropped 4.9%.
Markets await more commentary on monetary policy from U.S. central bank officials next week, in the run-up to the Jackson Hole, Wyoming, event where Fed Chair Jerome Powell is scheduled to speak.
Volume on U.S. exchanges was 12.93 billion shares, compared with the 12.63 billion average for the full session over the last 20 trading days. Declining issues outnumbered advancing ones on the NYSE by a 1.48-to-1 ratio; on Nasdaq, a 2.08-to-1 ratio favored decliners. The S&P 500 posted 16 new 52-week highs and 9 new lows; the Nasdaq Composite recorded 34 new highs and 195 new lows.
Reuters, Globe staff