the COB: Wall Street headwinds

The S&P/ASX 200 gave back some recent gains and finished 0.38% lower at 8,932.10 points on Thursday.

This was after Wall Street closed lower, with investors scaling back expectations for any policy easing.

Nine of the 19 voting FOMC members flagged the possibility of rate hikes amid still-elevated US inflation, the Federal Reserve leaving rates on hold, and new Fed Chair Kevin Warsh indicating the era of forward guidance was over.

Locally, the US-linked tech sector fell 1.61% over the session, while gold miners also gave ground as bullion prices retreated. Evolution Mining shed 2.2%.

In corporate news, Nickel Industries slipped 3.8% after Jefferies flagged regulatory risks in Indonesia, that could force some nickel sales into the local market.

On the upside, Soul Pattinson hit a record high after a divestment of its Brickworks assets. And Peter Warren Automotive jumped 3.5% after Paul Warren, son of founder Peter, bought $4.4 million worth of shares.

Overnight, the Bank of England is the next central bank due to hand down a rate decision, with a hold expected.