Stocks rather got thumped toward the close on Thursday in Toronto, as weakness in health-care and energy took their toll on the markets.
The S&P/TSX Composite Index tumbled 73,67 points to finish Thursday at 15,191.96
The Canadian dollar deleted 0.09 cents to 79.47 cents U.S.
Health-care stocks were the worst off, as Valeant Pharmaceuticals stumbled $1.12, or 5.4%, to $19.50, while Canopy Growth Corp. capsized 16 cents, or 1.8%, to $8.84.
Energy stocks also slumped, as Seven Generations Energy dropped a sharp $3.54, or 17.3%, to $16.97. Crescent Point Energy also had trouble getting untracked, dropping 44 cents, or 4.6%, to $9.15.
Tech stocks also got bitten, as BlackBerry fell eight cents to $11.85, and Constellation Software softened $8.40, or 1.2%, to $695.82.
Gold stocks tried to brighten things up, as Kinross Gold climbed 25 cents, or 4.7%, to $5.45
ON BAYSTREET
The TSX Venture Exchange dipped 2.8 points to 766.50
All but two of the 12 TSX subgroups were lower on the day, as health-care faltered 2.4%, energy idled 1.1%, and information technology clicked lower 0.7%.
The only two stalwarts were real-estate and gold, each up 0.1%.
ON WALLSTREET
U.S. stocks whipsawed on Thursday on the back of a report that the Russia investigation is intensifying.
The Dow found its way up 9.86 points to 22,026.10, to its seventh-straight another record close.
The S&P 500 dropped 5.41 points to 2,472.16, with energy leading decliners
The NASDAQ hesitated 22.3 points to 6,340.34.
Special Counsel Robert Mueller impaneled a grand jury in his investigation into Russia's involvement in the U.S. election, the Wall Street Journal reported minutes before the close
Overall, calendar second-quarter earnings have been strong, with most major companies reporting better-than-expected results. Among them, electric car maker Tesla reported a smaller-than-expected loss Wednesday, sending the stock surging as much as 6% in pre-market trade.
Allergan, Global Payments, and Kellogg also posted quarterly results before the bell Thursday. Heinz, Motorola Solutions, Viacom and Western Union will report after the bell.
Wall Street also set its sights on U.S. economic data. U.S. jobless claims totaled 240,000 versus expectations of 242,000 according the U.S. Labor Department's Thursday report.
Looking ahead to Friday, investors may be taking a break ahead of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' its monthly employment report.
Analysts expect the U.S. economy will have added 185,000 jobs in July.
Meanwhile, the IHS Markit Services Purchasing Managers’ Index hit 54.7 in July, slightly higher than in June. But the Institute for Supply Management non-manufacturing index showed growth in the services sector slowed last month.
Prices for the benchmark 10-year Treasury note gained ground, lowering yields to 2.23% from Wednesday’s 2.27%. Treasury prices and yields move in opposite directions.
Oil prices skidded 63 cents to $48.96 U.S. a barrel
Gold prices slid $3.80 to $1,274.60 U.S. an ounce.
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