Equities in Toronto headed for a third straight winning session, as a jump in gold-mining shares and gains in financials helped provide support to a market fixated on geopolitical tensions in Ukraine and elsewhere.
The S&P/TSX composite index gained 12.59 points to close at 15,274.23
The Canadian dollar subtracted 0.02 cents at 91.54 cents U.S.
Among gold mining shares, Goldcorp climbed 1.9% to $31.44 and Barrick Gold jumped 2.4% to $20.93.
Financials advanced, with Bank of Nova Scotia adding 0.5% to $72.38.
A drop in oil prices weighed on shares of energy producers. Canadian Natural Resources lost 0.7% to $45.75.
Aecon Group Inc dropped 2.3% to $16.23 after the construction company reported lower quarterly revenue late Monday.
Ithaca Energy Inc was down 2%, at $2.48, after the company reported a first-half pretax loss versus a year-ago profit.
ON BAYSTREET
The TSX Venture Exchange dropped 0.16 points to 998.71
The 14 Toronto subgroups were evenly split between gainers and losers, with gold up 1.6%, materials ahead 0.8%, and health-care surging 0.5%.
The seven laggards were weighed most by energy, down 0.6%. while information technology and consumer staples were each off 0.5%
ON WALLSTREET
U.S. stocks ended Tuesday’s choppy session slightly lower as investors remained jittery amid tension between Ukraine and Russia and lingering concerns about sectarian wars in the Middle East.
The Dow Jones Industrials fell 9.44 points to end the session at 16,560.54, turning negative on the year so far.
The S&P 500 docked 3.17 points to 1,933.75. The NASDAQ composite dulled 12.08 points to 4,389.25.
Shares of Kate Spade initially soared after the handbags and accessories maker reported better-than-expected second-quarter profit and sales. But shares plunged 26% as investors focused on falling margins.
Shares of Intercept Pharmaceutical leapt 17%, after the company late Monday issued positive data about an experimental treatment for liver disease.
Flowers Foods shares stumbled 4.8% after disappointing quarterly results from the bakery goods company, whose brands include Nature’s Own. Read more about the day’s notable movers here.
Prices for 10-year U.S. Treasuries sagged, hiking yields to 2.44% from Monday’s 2.42%. Treasury prices and yields move in opposite directions.
Oil prices slumped 74 cents to $97.34 U.S. a barrel.
Gold prices dipped 10 cents at $1,310.40 U.S. an ounce.
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