Canada's main stock index rose in afternoon trading on Wednesday, mirroring global stock market gains, as resource and energy stocks helped lead the market higher.
The S&P/TSX Composite jumped 53.62 points to greet noon Wednesday at 15,381.77
The Canadian dollar remained negative 0.21 cents to 73.72 cents U.S.
Markets in Toronto returned Wednesday to trading after being shuttered Monday and Tuesday for Christmas and Boxing Day.
The most influential movers on the index included Barrick Gold, which rose 2.6% to $20.21, and Potash Corp, which advanced 2.3% to $24.95.
Canadian National Railway was also a key market mover, advancing 1.2% to $92.62.
Royal Bank of Canada rose 0.4% to $92.08, which helped give the financials a lift.
ON BAYSTREET
The TSX Venture Exchange gained 7.7 points, or 1.1%, to 735.83
Seven of the 12 TSX subgroups lower by noon, with health-care ailing 0.4%, real-estate and utilities each down 0.2%.
The five gainers were led by gold, surging 3.9%, materials, up 2.9%, and information technology, ahead 0.6%.
ON WALLSTREET
U.S. stocks held negative Wednesday with investors watching oil and keeping an eye on the Dow Jones industrial average's elusive 20,000-point mark.
The Dow dropped 57.2 points to 19,887.84. The biggest gainer of the group was Goldman Sachs, which was up about 1%, while Disney was the biggest laggard, down about 1%.
The S&P 500 put down 13.85 points to 2,255.03, as every sector in the S&P 500 was negative.
The NASDAQ composite index subtracted 36.35 points to 5,451.09
On the data front, pending home sales fell, driving the National Association of Realtors Home Sales Index down 2.5% in November from October. Consensus forecasts called for a 0.4% increase in home sale contracts signed but not yet closed, following a 0.1% rise in October.
The Treasury Department will be auctioning $34 billion in five-year notes at 1 p.m. ET.
Oil prices opened higher Wednesday morning, close to their mid-2015 peaks. The market anticipated tighter supply and the first output cut deal between the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and non-OPEC producers in 15 years, which is set to take effect Sunday.
Treasury prices for the 10-year note were higher, lowering yields to 2.55% from Tuesday’s 2.56%. Treasury prices and yields move in opposite directions.
Oil prices gained 27 cents to $54.17 U.S. a barrel
Gold prices gained $1.20 to $1,140 U.S. an ounce.
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