Today in the markets
U.S. stocks fell for the second day in a row Thursday as first-quarter earnings from EBay Inc. and insurer UnitedHealth Group Inc. failed to meet expectations.
Canadian stocks were higher, led by advancers in mining stocks that have sold off this week amid signs of slowing global economic growth.
The S&P/TSX Composite was up 49.05 points to 11,996.34, while the TSX Venture Exchange added 9.34 points to close at 932.94.
Active stocks included Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL, Stock Forum), which remained under pressure, falling 2.7% to $392.05. Apple was most recently hampered by a negative sales forecast by iPhone supplier Cirrus Logic.
eBay Inc. (NASDAQ: EBAY, Stock Forum) shares were the biggest drag on the NASDAQ, falling 6% to $52.82 after the online-auction site issued weak second-quarter guidance.
UnitedHealth Group Inc. (NYSE: UNH, Stock Forum) fell 3.8% to $59.69.
In Canada, Canadian Tire Corp. (TSX: T.CTC.A, Stock Forum) was up 0.79% to $72.86. The company said it has reached a long-term deal on contracts with the franchise dealers, who operate its 490 stores across the country.
Barrick Gold Corp. (TSX: T.ABX, Stock Forum) (NYSE: ABX, Stock Forum) added 1.5% to $18.44, even after Moody’s Investors Service said the miner had been placed under review for a potential ratings downgrade.
For news about small stocks that made big moves in Thursday’s trading, please read the
Stockhouse Canadian Small and Micro-cap Stock Report