Financials, most notably, Bank of Montreal, carried markets in Toronto on their backs Tuesday, as the main stock index managed some respectable gains by the session’s close.
The S&P/TSX Composite grabbed hold of 29.78 points to end the day at 15,124.95
The Canadian dollar settled 0.01 cents lower to 75.28 cents U.S.
BMO rose $2.48, or 2.8%, to $92.06. The "First Canadian Bank" reported quarterly earnings well ahead of market expectations, benefiting from strong performances at its capital markets and U.S. personal and commercial businesses.
Elsewhere among financials, Manulife climbed 34 cents, or 1.5%, to $23.40.
Among consumer discretionary stocks, Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers surrendered four cents to $50.39.
One of the most influential gainers on the index was Kirkland Lake Gold, which finished at $7.67 as its listing was updated to incorporate its acquisition of Newmarket Gold.
Much of the rest of the gold sector did not fare so well, however, Iamgold gave up nine cents, or 1.7%, to $5.12.
Health-care issues also took some knocks, as Canopy Growth stumbled 78 cents, or 7.2%, to $10.02, while Concordia International slumped 17 cents, or 5.1%, to $3.15.
Among tech concerns, BlackBerry nodded lower three cents to $10.07, while Constellation Software doffed $2.77, or 0.5%, to $596.23.
On the economic docket, Statistics Canada reported that Canada's imports fell 6.3% to $44.7 billion in October, while exports increased 0.5% to $43.6 billion.
As a result, Canada's merchandise trade deficit with the world narrowed from a record $4.4 billion in September to $1.1 billion in October.
Western University's Ivey Purchasing Managers seasonally-adjusted index index declined to 56.8 from 59.7 in October, while the unadjusted index was unchanged at 56.5. Any reading over 50 signifies expansion in orders.
ON BAYSTREET
The TSX Venture Exchange gave back 3.47 points to 747.66
All but three of the 12 TSX subgroups were lower on the session, as information technology and health-care each backtracked 0.7%, and gold dulled in price 0.6%.
The three gainers were financials, up 0.8%, consumer discretionary stock, up 0.6%, and real-estate, creeping up 0.1%.
ON WALLSTREET
Equities stateside rose on Tuesday, as a post-election rally continued, while investors digested key economic data and braced for two key central bank meetings.
The Dow Jones Industrials gained 35.54 points to yet another all-time high of 19,251.78, with Verizon leading advancers and Nike lagging. The blue-chip index also posted its 11th record close since the election.
Earlier, shares in Boeing – a Dow component -- were under pressure after President-elect Donald Trump threatened to cancel an order for a new 747 Air Force One.
The S&P 500 picked up 7.52 points to 2,212.23, with telecommunications leading nine sectors higher while materials and utilities declined.
The NASDAQ composite index tacked on 24.11 points to 5,333
Stocks have rallied sharply since Trump stunned the world by defeating former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the U.S. presidential election, with optimism for greater infrastructure spending and deregulation of certain sectors propelling the sharp increase.
Economically speaking, third-quarter U.S. productivity rose at an annualized rate of 3.1%, according the U.S. Labor Department, while the U.S. trade deficit widened to $42.6 billion.
October factory orders rose 2.7%, slightly above a 2.6% estimate from experts.
The Fed is largely expected to raise interest rates next week by 25 basis points, as investors look for clues about the central bank's pace of normalization.
Treasury prices for the 10-year note gained a bit, lowering yields to 2.39% from Monday’s 2.4%. Treasury prices and yields move in opposite directions.
Oil prices dropped $1.05 to $50.74 U.S. a barrel
Gold prices remained lower $6.20 to $1,170.30 U.S. an ounce.
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