Equities in Toronto fell on Monday as declines in heavyweight sectors such as energy and materials outweighed moderate gains in a number of other groups.
The S&P/TSX Composite Index had forfeited 27.89 points midday Monday to 15,291.67
The Canadian dollar gained 0.04 cents to 75.59 cents U.S.
Health-care rallied 2.3%, with Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc surging 7.1% to $22.42, and hitting its highest since Jan. 10.
Shares had jumped last week after billionaire investor John Paulson joined the company's board.
BlackBerry Ltd rebounded 3.8% to $13.35 after sharp losses on Friday following disappointing quarterly results.
The energy group gave back earlier strength, with Canadian Natural Resources Ltd down 1.1% to $37.38.
Gold miners were the most influential decliners on the index as gold prices sank to near six-week lows. Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd slumped 2% to $62.17, while Goldcorp Inc fell 1.2% to $18.07.
ON BAYSTREET
The TSX Venture Exchange dropped 5.47 points to 771.78
The 12 TSX subgroups were evenly divided between gainers and losers, as health-care stocks soared 1.7%, consumer staples took on 0.3%, and utilities moved up 0.2%.
The half-dozen laggards were weighed mostly by gold, down 1.2%, materials, off 0.8%, and energy, tailing off 0.5%.
ON WALLSTREET
U.S. equities traded mostly higher Monday as a rise in the financials sector helped offset losses from large-cap technology stocks.
The Dow Jones Industrials came off its highs of the day, remaining positive 36.95 points to reach noon at 21,431.71, with Goldman Sachs contributing the most gains.
The S&P 500 stayed afloat 3.94 points to 2,442.24, with utilities, telecommunications and financials leading advancers.
The NASDAQ had surrendered 10.17 points to 6,255.08, as Facebook, Amazon and Alphabet gave up initial gains.
Technology stocks rebounded last week from a two-week swoon, rising 2.3%. The sector has been the stalwart of the U.S. stock market this year, advancing more than 20%.
Banks stocks such as Morgan Stanley and JPMorgan Chase all rose
Wall Street also monitored Washington as President Donald Trump was set to meet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the first time. The two leaders are expected to discuss immigration and a visa program that lets Indian IT talent work in the U.S.
In economic news, durable goods fell 1.1% in May, more than the expected 0.6% drop.
Prices for the benchmark 10-year Treasury note were in up in price, dropping yields to 2.13% from Friday’s 2.14%. Treasury prices and yields move in opposite directions.
Oil prices recovered 46 cents to $43.47 U.S. a barrel
Gold prices sank $12.50 to $1,243.90 U.S. an ounce.
