Canada's main index rose higher on Thursday as financial stocks were lifted by Bank of Canada chief's positive comments on the economy, while rising oil prices buoyed the energy sector.
The S&P/TSX Composite Index acquired 79.53 points, to begin Thursday at 15,589.29
The Canadian dollar retreated 0.13 cents to 77.76 cents U.S.
The heavyweight financial sector was boosted by Toronto-Dominion Bank, which gained 68 cents, or 1%, to $71.97, and Royal Bank of Canada picked up 29 cents to $96.90.
The largest percentage gainer on the TSX was Stantec Inc , which rose $1.65, or 5.2%, to $33.40, after the company initiated a strategic review of construction services provider MWH Constructors, a part of its company.
New Gold shares fell 23 cents, or 7.2%, to $2.98, after the company reported first quarter results. The company was the largest decliner on TSX.
Bombardier's and Airbus SE aimed to close deal to sell majority stake in its CSeries jetliner program by late May, ahead of an initial timetable, sources told Reuters on Wednesday. Bombardier's shares were up four cents, or 1%, to $4.03.
Husky Energy reported a jump in quarterly profit on Thursday, helped by lower costs. Husky shares dipped 10 cents to $18.99.
Precision Drilling, reported a smaller quarterly loss on Thursday, helped by a 36% rise in the number of active rigs in the United States. Precision shares climbed 17 cents, or 4.1%, to $4.34.
Unionized pilots at Canada's WestJet Airlines started voting on a strike authorization on Wednesday, saying an agreement with WestJet management is yet to be reached. WestJet shares were grounded 65 cents, or 2.8%, to $22.47.
CIBC raised the target price on TFI International to $39.00 from $36.00. TFI shares gained 99 cents, or 2.8%, to $36.33.
On the economic front, Statistics Canada said average weekly earnings were of non-farm payroll employees were $997.00 in February, little changed from the previous month. Earnings were up 3.4% compared with 12 months earlier, largely the result of gains in the second half of 2017.
Bank of Canada Governon Stephen Poloz on Wednesday said the economy was "finally positive" after a long adjustment to a sharp fall in oil prices. Poloz also said that while interest rates would go up from their current low levels, moving too quickly could create a financial stability risk.
ON BAYSTREET
The TSX Venture Exchange inched up 0.54 points to 784.33
All 12 TSX subgroups gained ground, as information technology and consumer staples each acquired 0.8%, while health-care issues were haler 0.7%.
ON WALLSTREET
Stocks rose on Thursday, helped by strong quarterly results from some of the biggest U.S. companies.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average began the day up 137.27 points to 24,221.16, with Visa as the best-performing stock in the index.
The S&P 500 spiked 17.53 points to 2,656.93, as tech rose 2.1%
The NASDAQ Composite index headed skyward 91.03 points to 7,094.77
Facebook shares surged more than 8.2% after the company posted better-than-expected earnings and revenue for the first quarter. The company's number of daily active users pointed to steady engagement in the platform despite backlash from the Cambridge Analytica debacle.
Advanced Micro Devices also posted earnings that topped expectations, sending its stock up about 13%
Chipotle, meanwhile, soared 20% after reporting a stronger-than-expected profit, boosted same-store sales that easily topped expectations.
Of the S&P 500 companies that have reported thus far, 81% have reported better-than-expected earnings
In economic news, U.S. durable goods orders rose 2.6% in March, far more than the expected 1.6% gain. Meanwhile, weekly jobless claims totaled 209,000 last week, below a forecast of 230,000.
Prices for the benchmark 10-year Treasury note gained, lowering yields to 2.99% from Wednesday’s 3.03%. Treasury prices and yields move in opposite directions.
Oil prices gained 10 cents a barrel to $68.15 U.S.
Gold prices dropped a dollar to $1,321.80 U.S. an ounce.
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