Markets in Canada’s largest centre opened higher on Friday, as gold miners, buoyed by stronger bullion prices, led the climb.
The S&P/TSX Composite Index regained 39.19 points to start out Friday at 15,174.19
The Canadian dollar strengthened 0.26 cents to 78.81 cents U.S.
Kinross Gold flourished, climbing 19 cents, or 3.9%, to $5.02, while Barrick Gold moved higher 44 cents, or 2.2%, to $20.42.
A senior investment advisor at Toronto-Dominion Bank reportedly left the company after an internal investigation found that he had placed Blackbird Energy shares with clients not suited to investing in high-risk stocks.
Shares in TD dropped 16 cents to $65.12.
Sears Canada was granted court approval on Thursday to proceed with a sale process that would allow the retailer to consider a range of potential deals, according to court documents.
National Bank of Canada cut the rating on Cineplex to sector perform from outperform. Cineplex shares slouched $1.03, or 2%, to $51.27.
National Bank of Canada resumed coverage on NewCastle Gold with outperform rating. NewCastle shares took on one cent, or 1.1%, to 90 cents.
ON BAYSTREET
The TSX Venture Exchange recouped 1.61 points to 754.54
All but three of the 12 TSX subgroups charged out of the gate, with gold brighter by 1.8%, materials stronger 1.2%, and energy 0.7% more energetic.
The three laggards were consumer staples, consumer discretionary and financial stocks, all of which skidded 0.2%.
ON WALLSTREET
U.S. stocks traded higher on Friday as Wall Street parsed through key corporate earnings and economic data.
The Dow Jones Industrials improved 15.99 points to 21,569.08, to yet another intraday high, with Boeing contributing the most gains and JPMorgan Chase and Goldman Sachs the most losses.
The S&P 500 gained 2.76 points to 2,450.59, with real -state leading advancers and financials dropping 1%.
The NASDAQ added 8.38 points to 6,282.82
The major indexes were also on track for strong weekly gains. Entering Friday's session the Dow was up 0.7%, S&P gaining 0.9%, and the NASDAQ advancing nearly 2%.
Earnings season kicked off in earnest, with JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup and Wells Fargo all posting better-than-expected profits. Shares of JPMorgan and Citigroup were under pressure, however, after reporting declines in trading sales.
One expert noted that, of the 30 S&P 500 companies that have reported, 80% have beat on the bottom line.
He added these companies have shown 15% earnings growth and 6.2% sales growth.
Prices for the benchmark 10-year Treasury note jumped Friday, lowering yields to 2.31% from Thursday’s 2.36%. Treasury prices and yields move in opposite directions
Oil prices gained 39 cents to $46.47 U.S. a barrel
Gold prices boosted $13.20 to $1,230.50 U.S. an ounce.
