Canada’s main stock index gained on Friday in a broad but uninspired move higher that missed the large and struggling energy and mining sectors.
The S&P/TSX composite index gained 39.48 points to close the day and the week at 14,277.88
The Canadian dollar sank 0.19 cents to 76.38 cents U.S.
Health-care was the torchbearer for gainers, up 0.58%, with Valeant Pharmaceuticals advancing $1.43, or 0.4%, to $323.03.
Also faring well were utilities, most notably Just Energy, which roared ahead 64 cents, or 9.2%, to $7.62, while Algonquin Power & Utilities surged 63 cents, or 6.9%, to $9.74.
Information technology also moved higher, led by 5N Plus, up five cents, or 4.6%, to $1.15, and Sierra Wireless, spiking $1.40, or 4.3%, to $33.68.
Metals and mining stocks led the laggards, as Sherritt International slouched eight cents, or 7.1%, to $1.05, while First Quantum Minerals sank 41 cents, or 4.4%, to $8.90.
Gold also stumbled, as Argonaut Gold dipped eight cents, or 5.6%, to $1.36, and Semafo Inc. gave back 15 cents, or 4.5%, to $3.18.
Long Run Exploration was the most actively traded stock, gaining a penny, or 2.1%, to 49 cents, on 418,000 shares.
On economic matters, Statistics Canada reported that its monthly survey of manufacturing showed sales rose 1.2% to $50.8 billion in June, the second consecutive gain and the third increase since January 2015. Despite the gains in June, year-to-date manufacturing sales were down 1.5% from the same period in 2014.
ON BAYSTREET
The TSX Venture inched down 2.80 points to 573.21.
Nine of the 14 TSX subgroups were higher on the day, as health-care and utilities each sprang up 1.2%, with information technology clicking higher 1.1%
The five laggards were weighed most by metals and mining, down 1.8%, gold, sliding 1%, and energy, 0.6% less energetic.
ON WALLSTREET
U.S. stocks closed higher on Friday amid news regarding Greece and after the release of three more economic data sets while investors' focus shifted back to the Federal Reserve.
The Dow Jones industrial average prospered 69.15 points to finish the day at 17,477.40, led by DuPont and ExxonMobil being the greatest laggard.
The S&P 500 gained 8.15 points to 2,091.54, with utilities leading nine sectors higher and energy lagging.
The NASDAQ index recovered 14.68 points to 5,048.23, as biotechnology stocks fell 0.6% and Apple ended 0.7% higher.
U.S. equities hit session highs less than an hour ahead of the close as news about the euro-zone confirmed it agreed to launch a new bailout program for Greece. Before then, the three major indexes traded in a range similar to that of Thursday.
The major indexes managed to eke out gains for the week despite the volatility brought about by the yuan's depreciation. The Dow Jones industrial average gained 0.6%, while the S&P 500 rose 0.7%. The Nasdaq rose just 0.9% as biotechnology stocks fell 1.3% for the week.
In corporate news, retailer J.C. Penney's stock surged about 6% in early trading after reporting mixed quarterly results on Friday.
Nordstrom reported quarterly earnings and revenue that beat Wall Street's expectations on Thursday. The retailer added it increased its guidance for the year
An SEC filing revealed Tesla's secondary offering of 2.7 million common shares was priced at $242 U.S. a shares, pushing the amount raised to about $643 million U.S.
Restaurant chain El Pollo Loco posted mixed results for the previous quarter, barely beating on the top line but missing on revenue. Still, the company said it is confident about the rest of 2015 thanks to an expanded menu.
King Digital, the maker of the popular game Candy Crush, beat expectations for the previous quarter on both lines, but said that monthly active users fell short of estimates.
Sysco shares rose more than 5% in afternoon trading after sources told the media that Nelson Peltz's Trian has taken a more than 7% stake in the company.
Friday's economic data offerings included the U.S. Producer Price index rose 0.2% in July, while core PPI also ticked up 0.2%, both beating estimates.
U.S. industrial production for July shot up 0.6%, the Fed said, above the expected 0.3% gain as auto production surged.
The preliminary reading for August consumer sentiment came in at 92.9, below the estimated 93.5.
Prices for 10-year U.S. Treasuries lost ground, putting yields back up to 2.20% from Thursday’s 2.19%. Treasury prices and yields move in opposite directions.
Oil prices slid 14 cents a barrel to $42.09 U.S.
Gold prices lost $1.20 to $1,114.40 U.S. an ounce.
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