Canada's main index straddled the fence by Thursday’s, as heavy losses in the communications and health fields overrode gains in consumer stocks.
The S&P/TSX Composite Index added 12.02 points to finish Thursday at 16,239.26
The Canadian dollar squeezed 0.02 cents up to 75 cents U.S.
Even so, the main index has risen 1.3% so far this month, rebounding from the worst monthly show of the year in June that was sparked by fears of a global economic slowdown following a sudden escalation in U.S.-China trade tensions.
BCE dropped $2.62, or 4.2%, to $59.90, while Rogers shed $1.95, or 2.7%, to 69.21
Hexo fell 71 cents, or 8.3%, the most on the TSX, to $7.82, after the cannabis products distributor's third-quarter results. CannTrust Holdings docked 29 cents, or 4.2%, to $6.68
Tech stocks had a rough day of it, too, as Constellation Software lost $13.84, or 1.2%, to $1,183.32, while Descartes Systems slid 66 cents, or 1.3%, to $51.11.
Dollarama jumped $4.54, or 10.8%, among the biggest gainers, to $46.75, after the discount retailer raised its full-year comparable sales forecast and posted a stronger-than-expected rise in quarterly revenue.
Canada Goose Holdings hiked $2.31, or 5%, to $48.27.
Alacer Gold jumped 37 cents, or 10%, to $4.09, after the company raised 2019 forecast for oxide production.
NovaGold strengthened 24 cents, or 4.2%, to $5.90.
In the oil patch, Crescent Point Energy triumphed 16 cents, or 4.2%, to $4.01, while Baytex Energy zoomed 10 cents, or 5.3%, to $2.00.
On the economic front, Statistics Canada said its new housing price index remained unchanged in April for the third straight month.
ON BAYSTREET
The TSX Venture Exchange handed back 2.38 points to close Thursday at 589.24
The 12 Toronto subgroups were evenly split, with consumer discretionary sprinted 2.1%, gold gained 1%, and energy charged 0.8%.
The half-dozen laggards were saddled most by communications, sliding 2.8%, health-care, off 2.1%, and information technology declining 0.6%.
ON WALLSTREET
Stocks rose on Thursday on the back of strong gains in Disney and energy shares, building on this month’s sharp rally.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 62.49 points to 26,067.32, as Disney shares outperformed
The S&P 500 was up 11.8 points at 2,891.64, led by the energy sector.
The NASDAQ Composite advanced 44.41 points to 7,837.13.
The major indexes were all up more than 4% for the month, after notching sharp losses in May.
Disney shares contributed to the gains, rising more than 4.4% after an analyst at Morgan Stanley raised his price target on the stock to $160 per share from $135. The analyst cited the company’s new streaming service, noting it could give its global subscriber numbers a boost.
Energy prices soared, as Hess and Phillips 66 were the best performers within the sector, rising more than 2% each.
Still, lingering trade tensions kept investors on edge. Expectations that trade officials from the U.S. and China will clinch a deal on the sidelines of a G-20 meeting in Osaka on June 28-29 have been fading in recent days.
President Donald Trump, who has said he still has plans to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping later this month, has repeatedly threatened to escalate an already months-long trade war by putting tariffs on almost all of the remaining Chinese imports that are not already impacted by U.S. charges.
Prices for the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury gained a bit Wednesday, lowering yields to 2.10% from Wednesday’s 2.12%. Treasury prices and yields move in opposite directions.
Oil prices was ahead $1.11 to $52.25 U.S. a barrel.
Gold prices gained $8.30 at $1,345.10 U.S. an ounce.
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