Toronto stocks took a roller coaster ride today ending the day flat. In Toronto, the S&P/TSX composite index ended down 2.92 points, or 0.04%, at 8,231.93 on a volume of 294.7 million shares worth $3.96 billion. Investors are acting on renewed fear over a potential U.S. rate-hike, analysts say.

Early gains in the day were erased in the second half of the day as investors digested a jump in the PCE price index — a key gauge of inflation pressures based on personal spending. It nearly doubled, igniting worries the Fed may have to lift historically low rates to cool the economy.

Despite the bad news, seven of the TSX’s 10 sub-groups closed up, with a 1.67% gain in both the health-care and consumer discretionary groups. Utilities rose 2.45%. The gold-mining sub-group rose 1.93%. Its broader materials index rose 0.91%.

However, three influential groups ended on the downside. Technology stocks slid 0.96%, while energy lost 1.39% and financials shed 0.73%.

In New York, stocks dropped for a second straight session on the surprising jump in the PCE price index.

The Nasdaq had a fourth-straight down day, weighed down by a slump in shares of JDS Uniphase Corp. Late yesterday, the fiber-optic parts maker posted a smaller quarterly loss, but forecast an uncertain industry recovery.

The Dow Jones industrial average ended down 70.33 points, or 0.68%, to 10,272.27. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index slid 8.52 points, or 0.76%, to 1,113.51. The Nasdaq Composite Index lost 30.76 points, or 1.55%, to 1,958.78..

Google Inc., the world’s top Web search provider grabbed headlines late today, after filing to become a publicly listed company, and sell as much as $2.7 billion in its initial public offering.