Canada’s main stock index touched more record highs Thursday, helped by energy stocks, while investors digested a mixed batch of U.S. economic data and following Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s comments late in the day.
The TSX hiked 59.08 points to 25,048.10.
The Canadian dollar dipped 0.04 cents to 71.11 cents U.S.
In corporate news, distributor of architectural building products Adentra surpassed third-quarter sales estimates and increased its quarterly dividend to $0.15 per share from $0.14. Adentra gained $1.66 on the session, or 4.3%, to $40.46.
The heavyweight sector also benefited from a jump of $4.18, or 15.3%, in Paramount Resources’ shares, to $31.46 after shale producer Ovintiv announced a $2.38-billion all-cash deal to acquire the energy firm’s oil assets. Ovintiv grabbed $3.27, or 5.5%, to $62.39.
Elsewhere, Vermilion Energy charged ahead 89 cents, or 6.8%, to $14.02.
First Majestic Silver soared 41 cents, or 4.7%, to $9.08, while Lundin Mining captured 45 cents, or 3.5%, to $13.44.
In gold, Novagold gained 28 cents, or 6.1%, to $4.91, while New Gold obtained 11 cents, or 3.2%, to $3.59.
The tech sector got bruised, most notably, Computer Modeling Group, down 78 cents, or 7.2%, to $10.11, while Bitfarms subsided 22 cents, or 6.9%, to $2.97.
In the health-care sector, Tilray docked six cents, or 3%, to $1.97, while Sienna Senior Living shares doffed 38 cents, or 2.3%, to $16.42.
In the communications sector, Telus slid 47 cents, or 2.2%, to $21.34, while BCE ditched 35 cents to $37.74.
ON BAYSTREET
The TSX Venture Exchange slipped 2.2 points to 591.52.
Seven of the 12 subgroups were gainers. Energy improved 2.2%, gold and materials each shone brighter 0.9%.
The five gainers were weighed most by information technology, down 3.3%, health-care, fading 1.4%, and communications, off 0.7%.
ON WALLSTREET
U.S. stocks slid on Thursday, as fresh comments from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell signaled that economic strength could warrant some patience with future rate cuts.
The Dow Jones Industrials faltered 207.33 points to 43,750.86.
The S&P 500 dived 36.21 points to 5,949.17.
The NASDAQ Composite slid 123.07 points to 19,107.65.
So-called “Trump Trades” also lost steam as the market rally cooled. Tesla tumbled 5%, while the small-cap benchmark Russell 2000 dropped 1% and underperformed the major averages.
Disney shares popped 9% after the media giant reported better-than-expected fiscal fourth-quarter results, boosting the Dow. The company got a boost from strong streaming growth driving its entertainment business.
Capri, and Tapestry rose after the companies called off their planned merger, citing regulatory hurdles. Shares of Tapestry jumped nearly 13%, while Capri added 2.5%.
Hims & Hers Health dropped 14% after Amazon revealed Prime users can now access fixed pricing of treatment for conditions such as men’s hair loss. The offering puts the company in direct competition with Hims & Hers Health.
Those moves come after the October producer price index released Thursday rose 0.2%, matching forecasts from economists polled by Dow Jones.
PPI excluding food and energy ran faster than forecast. The October consumer price index came in as expected on Wednesday, but nevertheless signaled the Federal Reserve’s fight against inflation is yet to be won. Core CPI rose by 0.3% for a third straight month, with the 12-month rate at 3.3%.
Investors are deliberating whether a postelection rally following Donald Trump’s decisive victory last week still has room to run after powering the major averages to new milestones. The Dow closed above 44,000 for the first time on Monday, and both the S&P 500 and NASDAQ Composite notched new highs.
Investors will also closely monitor scheduled remarks from Fed Chair Jerome Powell on Thursday in Dallas, while the October retail sales report is due out Friday.
Prices for the 10-year Treasury lost ground late in the afternoon, pushing yields back up to Wednesday’s 4.45%. Treasury prices and yields move in opposite directions.
Oil prices gained 16 cents to $68.59 U.S. a barrel.
Prices for gold dipped $14.00 an ounce to $2,572.50 U.S.
