Preventing stronger gains , News Corp < NCP.AX > fell 1.3 percent to A $ 12.43 and Brambles < BIL.AX > dropped 1.9 percent to A $ 4.75 after a weak performance overnight .

Holding the market back , News Corp < NCP.AX > fell two percent to A $ 12.34 and Brambles < BIL.AX > dropped 2.3 percent to A $ 4.73 after a weak performance overnight .

Do the above sentences mean the same thing?
yes