US equity markets eased after a choppy trading session, with investors continuing to keep a close eye on bond markets - Dow down -56-points or -0.21% , with DowDuPont Inc (down -3.67%) and United Technologies Corporation (-2.66%) among the key drags on the index. The Dow pared an earlier fall of -163-points and also rose as much as +53-points at one point in the session (indeed, the index saw six swings of >100-points during the session). The broader S&P500 slipped -0.14% to log its fourth consecutive decline. PPG Industries (down -10.06%) led the Materials sector (down -3.40%) lower after the industrial coatings manufacturer downgraded its third quarter earnings guidance (to US$1.41-to-US$1.45 per share versus consensus US$1.59). Energy sector was the leading sector performer with a +0.99% gain. The technology-centric NASDAQ inched +0.03% higher to snap a three session losing streak, with Netflix Inc (up +1.9%) and Apple (+1.4%) among the leading major stocks.
