Equity markets in Toronto perked yet again Thursday, the eve of another monthly jobs report, powered largely by resources stocks.
The S&P/TSX Composite gained 59.83 points, to close at 15,586.58.
The Canadian dollar leaped 1.02 cents to 75.53 cents U.S.
Gold plays were especially attractive Thursday, as Iamgold soared 65 cents, or 11.7%, to close at $6.23, while Barrick Gold surged $1.24, or 5.7%, to $23.05.
First Quantum Minerals looked particularly strong among materials issues, collecting 45 cents, or 3.1%, to $15.03, while Lundin Mining climbed 36 cents, or 5.3%, to $7.22.
In the telecom sector, BCE Inc. gained 25 cents to $58.92, while TELUS Corp. picked up 69 cents, or 1.6%, to $44.20.
Tech stocks dragged things down a bit, as BlackBerry sank three cents to $9.44, and Constellation Software slid $13.77, or 2.3%, to $598.14.
Energy stocks came back to earth somewhat, as Baytex Energy lost 11 cents, or 1.6%, to $6.60, while Encana Corp. dipped 28 cents, or 1.6%, to $16.94.
On the economic slate, Statistics Canada’s industrial product price index The Industrial Product Price Index rose 0.3% in November.
Higher prices for motorized and recreational vehicles and primary non-ferrous metal products were largely moderated by lower prices for energy and petroleum products.
The raw materials price index decreased 2%, mainly due to lower prices for crude energy products in the same month.
Employment numbers are due in the morning on both sides of the border for December.
ON BAYSTREET
The TSX Venture Exchange leaped 13.72 points, or 1.8%, to 794.26
The 12 TSX subgroups were evenly split between gainers and losers, as gold raced higher 5.7%, materials moved skyward 3.7%, and telecoms beamed 0.8% brighter
The half-dozen laggards were weighed mostly by information technology, down 0.7%, while energy slumped 0.5%, and consumer discretionaries slouched 0.4%.
ON WALLSTREET
U.S. equities traded mostly lower by the close on Thursday, as uncertainty over some of President-elect Donald Trump's policies gave investors pause, despite solid economic data.
The Dow Jones Industrials came off its lows of the day, but remained negative 42.87 points to 19,899.29, with Travelers leading decliners and Visa the top advancer.
The S&P 500 dipped 1.75 points to 2,269, with financials leading six sectors lower and health-care the biggest riser.
The NASDAQ composite index fought into positive territory 10.93 points to 5,487.94
During his campaign, Trump called for an overhaul of NAFTA and repeatedly said he would construct a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. Trump has also called out companies for sending jobs out of the U.S. into other countries.
Adding to investors' worries was a Senate hearing on cyber-security threats, as U.S. intelligence officials answered questions about their assessment that Russia interfered in the presidential election
Investors also digested several pieces of economic data. First, ADP said private employers added 153,000 jobs last month, considerably below the expected 170,000. Meanwhile, weekly jobless claims came in at 235,000, below a consensus estimate of 260,000.
The December jobs report is set for release Friday at 8:30 a.m. ET, with economists expecting the U.S. economy to have added 178,000 jobs.
Other economic data released Thursday included the December IHS Markit services Purchasing Managers Index, which came in at 53.99, below November's print of 54.6.
The Institute for Supply Management’s non-manufacturing index, meanwhile, hit 57.2, above a consensus estimate of 56.6. A number above 50 indicates expansion within the sector, and a number below 50 shows contraction.
Prices for the benchmark 10-year Treasury note gained sharply, lowering yields to 2.36% from Wednesday’s 2.44%. Treasury prices and yields move in opposite directions.
Oil prices regrouped 40 cents to $53.66 U.S. a barrel
Gold prices moved higher $16.10 to $1,181.40 U.S. an ounce.
