Bank stocks led the TSX lower Wednesday as Royal Bank missed earnings expectations and boosted its provisions for credit losses.
The S&P/TSX composite index fell 108 points, or 0.9 per cent, to 12,656 at 12:45 p.m. ET. That's a considerable improvement over its low point this morning, when the index was down more than 250 points.
The financial sector, with its 2.5 per cent drop, was the main factor in Wednesday's drop.
Before markets opened, RBC reported a rare earnings miss as it released its first-quarter financial results. The bank also set aside more money for bad loans in the oil and gas sector.
RBC shares slid $2.65 to $66.98.
"While the core earnings were reasonably solid and Royal appears to be taking a more rational stance on its credit outlook, the market rewarded its relative conservatism by punishing its shares," Barclays analyst John Aiken observed.
"Going forward, with its exposure to the energy patch and the Canadian consumer, incremental sustained performance could be challenging," he said.
Shares of all the other big banks were down between two and three per cent.
Oil rebounds
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 132 points, or 0.8 per cent, to 16,300. But the Dow was also off its session lows after crude oil futures turned higher.
"For the near-term, volatility stays and will hinge on what happens in the crude market," said Ernie Cecilia, chief
investment officer of Bryn Mawr Trust in Devon, Pa.
Oil prices dropped in the morning following the release of U.S. supply data that showed a further increase in stockpiles. But by the noon hour, oil futures had turned slightly positive, up 24 cents to $32.11 US a barrel.
The Canadian dollar was up 0.13 cents US to 72.76 cents US.
April gold futures jumped $15.80 to $1,238.40 US an ounce.
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