TORONTO — Canada’s main stock index fell Tuesday as declines in banks, airlines and energy stocks dragged heavily on the market.
The Toronto Stock Exchange’s S&P/TSX composite index dropped 129.19 points to 15,313.13, weighed down by losses across most sectors with the exception of gold.
Financials took a big hit, with shares of Manulife Financial (TSX:MFC) losing four per cent. The five major Canadian banks also all finished in the red.
Markets analyst Sadiq Adatia says investors are taking profits from bank stocks after a record-setting run on both sides of the border following U.S. President Donald Trump’s election win in early November.
“You’ll see a bit more of that throughout the year where markets are moving up on some sentiment potentially. But when nothing actually goes on, you might see a bit of a pullback again,” said Adatia, chief investment officer at Sun Life Global Investments.
Shares in airlines were also lower after Canada said it was studying bans in the U.S. and Britain that will make air travellers from certain Muslim countries check in their laptops and other large electronic devices in checked baggage. Air Canada (TSX:AC) stock fell 3.34 per cent, or 45 cents to finish at $13.03, while shares in WestJet Airlines (TSX:WJA) lost 0.8 per cent, or 18 cents to $22.44.
In New York, major indices were in the red. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 237.85 points to 20,668.01, its biggest one-day loss since mid-October. The S&P 500 index gave up 29.45 points at 2,344.02 and the Nasdaq composite index was down 107.70 points to 5,793.83.
Adatia says U.S. financial markets are nervous because although the majority still believe Trump will follow through with his pro-business policies, it’s beginning to become apparent that his initiatives to kick-start growth and cut corporate taxes will take some time before coming to fruition.
“Therefore the amount of stimulus that we’ll be getting into the economy in 2017 might be lower, so you might be seeing people take money off the table and wait before getting back into (the markets) again,” he said.
The jitters sent investors to buy bullion, which is considered a safe haven during volatile times. The April gold contract rose $12.50 at US$1,246.50 an ounce.
In currencies, the Canadian dollar dipped 0.02 of a U.S. cent at 74.86 cents US, as oil prices shed losses for a second day in a row. The May crude contract fell 67 cents at US$48.24 per barrel.
In other commodities, April natural gas contracts were up five cents at US$3.09 per mmBTU and May copper contracts were down five cents to US$2.62 a pound.
