Canada's main stock index made small but broad gains on Thursday, with materials and health-care stocks partially recovering from sharp losses in the previous session.
The S&P/TSX Composite advanced 33.77 points to greet noon Thursday at 15,114.68
The Canadian dollar reacquired 0.04 cents at 74.19 cents U.S.
The small health-care sector was buzzing, helped by Valeant Pharmaceuticals International advancing 2% to $23.30.
The most influential movers included First Quantum Minerals, which advanced 3.8% to $16.59, and Teck Resources, up 1.6% at $35.48.
Copper prices advanced 2.6% to $5,888 U.S. a tonne, helped by expectations of inflation in China and the United States, and signs of growing strength in the U.S. manufacturing sector.
Among energy plays, TransAlta advanced 4.7% to $6.08, while pipeline company Enbridge Inc slipped 0.6% to $57.61.
Industrials rose with Canadian National Railway Co rose 0.6% to $89.65
Oil prices gave back a penny to $47.95 U.S. a barrel
Gold prices hesitated $4.90 at $1,184.40 U.S. an ounce.
On the economic beat, Statistics Canada reported that average weekly earnings of non-farm payroll employees were $957.00 in September, down 0.1% from the previous month and up 0.4% from 12 months earlier.
Moreover, non-farm payroll employees worked an average of 32.7 hours per week in September, unchanged from the previous month and down from 33.0 hours in September 2015.
ON BAYSTREET
The TSX Venture Exchange shed 2.55 points to 727.54
All but three of the 12 TSX subgroups were higher midday, with health-care stocks growing 1.3%, utilities higher 0.3%, and real-estate better by 0.2%.
The three laggards were weighed by consumer staples, skidding 0.1%, utilities, off 0.04%, and gold, dulling 0.03%.
ON WALLSTREET
Markets are closed for Thanksgiving, to re-open for half a day Friday.
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