Technology tumble causes Wall Street slip

The relief that greeted reports of a possible ceasefire in Ukraine faded on Wall Street, as a slide in Apple and other technology stocks tugged the US stock market to a small loss yesterday.

News that that Russia and Ukraine were close to reaching a ceasefire agreement rippled through markets early, lifting stocks in Europe and pushing up oil prices. In the US, the stock market headed higher at the start of trading then sagged in the afternoon.