Equities in Canada’s largest market ended Thursday positive, with gains among energy stocks most noticeable, as investors on both sides of the border looked forward to the release of employment numbers Friday.
The S&P/TSX Composite inched higher 16.73 points to close trading at 14,528.78
The Canadian dollar gained 0.23 cents to 76.76 cents U.S.
Among energy plays, Baytex Energy continued its roller coaster trend, moving higher 17 cents, or 2.9%, to $6.08, while Enbridge took on 80 cents, or 1.5%, to $53.81.
Not faring so well were financial stocks, as Manulife took a beating, 97 cents, or 5.4%, to $16.95, while rival Sun Life docked 83 cents, or 1.9%, to $41.96.
In the consumer staples field, Metro lost 37 cents to $46.69, while Loblaw fell $1.08, or 1.5%, to $72.57.
The metals and mining field also suffered losses, as Potash Corp. dropped 39 cents, or 1.9%, to $20.28, while Agrium Inc. let go of $1.07 to $116.52.
ON BAYSTREET
The TSX Venture Exchange remained positive 2.24 points to 807.42
Nine of the 13 subgroups were higher, with energy gushing 1.2%, consumer discretionary stocks 0.6% higher, and information technology growing 0.5%.
The four laggards were weighed most by financials, down 0.6%, consumer staples shedding 0.5%, and the metals and mining group, off 0.4%.
ON WALLSTREET
Stocks stateside closed mostly flat on Thursday, despite a rise in oil prices, as equity investors looked ahead for Friday's jobs report.
The Dow Jones Industrials ended negative 2.95 points to 18,352.05, with Walt Disney and Home Depot contributing the most losses.
The S&P 500 poked up 0.46 points to 2,164.25, with information technology leading four sectors higher and financials lagging.
The NASDAQ Composite moved up 6.51 points to 5,166.25
Earnings season in the U.S. continued to wind down, as Viacom, Teva Pharmaceuticals and Kellogg, among others, posted quarterly results. Tesla Motors also posted quarterly results Wednesday after the bell, falling short of estimates on both the top and bottom line.
Investors also digested U.S. economic data, as weekly jobless claims came in slightly above expectations. U.S. factory orders for June fell 1.5%, less than expected.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics is scheduled to release the July jobs report Friday morning.
Investors also pondered the Bank of England's first rate cut since 2009.
Besides lowering rates, the BOE also increased its government bond-buying program by £60 billion to £435 billion
Prices for the 10-year Treasury gained ground, lowering yields to 1.51% from Wednesday’s 1.54%. Treasury prices and yields move in opposite directions.
Oil prices gained 94 cents a barrel to $41.77 U.S.
Gold prices stayed positive $2.70 to $1,367.40 U.S. an ounce.
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