Equities in Canada’s biggest market finished the week on a positive note, possibly picking up on the good vibes from another progressive jobs report.
The S&P/TSX Composite Index gained 66.01 points to conclude the day and the week at 15,257.97
The Canadian dollar deducted half a cent to 79.03 cents U.S.
Markets will be closed Monday in Toronto for the Civic Holiday.
Energy stocks proved the roaring success of the day, with Encana Corp. climbing 49 cents, or 4.1%, or $12.32, and Cenovus Energy jumping 41 cents, or 4.1%, to $10.54.
Among consumer discretionary issues, Gildan Activewear took on 12 cents to $37.91, while Magna International perked $1.12, or 1.9%, to $60.27.
Open Text rose $1.72, or 4.1%, to $43.66, as several analysts increased their price targets on the business software company's stock after its quarterly earnings impressed.
BlackBerry added nine cents to $11.94.
Gold miners were among the heaviest weights on the day as the spot price of the precious metal took a hit from the U.S. data supporting expectations of tighter monetary policy from the Federal Reserve.
Barrick Gold declined 45 cents, or 2.1% to $21.02, Goldcorp lost 20 cents, or 1.2% to $15.89, and Kinross Gold fell 15 cents, or 2.8%, to $5.30.
Health-care stocks continued to have their problems, as Aphria staggered 20 cents, or 3.4%, to $5.74, and Valeant Pharmaceuticals shed 28 cents, or 1.4%, to $19.15.
It was a busy Friday on the economic calendar, ahead of a long weekend in much of Canada. The economy created 11,000 jobs during July, dropping the jobless rate two-10ths of a percentage point to 6.3%, the lowest rate since October 2008, just prior to the onset of the 2008-2009 labour market downturn.
Analysts expected a jump of 10,000 jobs and an unemployment rate at 6.5%.
Elsewhere, Canada's merchandise trade balance with the world posted a $3.6 billion deficit in June, widening from a $1.4-billion deficit in May. Exports fell 4.3% while imports edged up 0.3%.
The trade gap was expected to have widened slightly to $1.35 billion in June.
Elsewhere, Western University’s IVEY Purchasing Managers' index faded to 60 in July, from June 61.6 and a 57 reading in July 2016. The index measures purchases by purchasing managers over the month, and any reading over 50 suggests expansion in purchases.
ON BAYSTREET
The TSX Venture Exchange faded 0.82 points to 765.68
Eight of the 12 TSX subgroups remained positive on theday, with energy up 2%, consumer discretionary notching up 1%, and information technology gathering 0.9%
The four laggards were weighed most by gold, dulling in price 1.4%, health-care, off 0.8%, and materials, sliding 0.4%.
ON WALLSTREET
U.S. equities rose on Friday on better-than-expected employment data
The Dow Jones Industrials added 66.71 points to 22,092.81. Goldman Sachs contributed the most gains. The index also posted its eighth straight record close.
The S&P 500 regained 4.67 points to 2,476.83, with financials rising 0.7% to lead advancers.
The NASDAQ gained 11.22 points to 6,351.56
The U.S. economy added 209,000 jobs last month, according to the U.S. Labor Department, well above the expected gain of 183,000.
The closely watched wage number was unchanged from previous months, with average hourly earnings up 2.5%. The average work week also was unchanged at 34.5 hours.
On Thursday afternoon, the Wall Street Journal first reported that Robert Mueller, the special counsel leading the investigation on Russia, impaneled a grand jury.
Prices for the benchmark 10-year Treasury note slumped, raising yields to 2.26% from Thursday’s 2.23%. Treasury prices and yields move in opposite directions.
Oil prices regained 45 cents to $49.48 U.S. a barrel
Gold prices remained in the red $9.60 to $1,264.80 U.S. an ounce.
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