Stocks in Canada’s largest centre enjoyed respectable gains, given a shot in the arm by health-care issues, particularly cannabis concerns.
The S&P/TSX Composite Index gained 48.41 points to close Tuesday at 16,086.54
The Canadian dollar dropped 0.21 cents at 74.91 cents U.S.
Among the big winners in the health sector, Aurora Cannabis climbed $1.20 or 12.5%, to $10.80, while rival Canopy Growth took on $1.78, or 2.9%, to $64.17.
Real-estate stocks proved worthy runners-up, as Colliers International Group spiked 38 cents to $91.13, while Brookfield Asset Management climbed 18 cents to $60.85.
Gold shone brighter, especially Barrick Gold, mightier by 26 cents, or 1.6%, to $16.88, while Goldcorp advanced 23 cents, or 1.6%, to $14.74.
Consumer staples, though, didn’t fare so well, as Metro doffed 77 cents, or 1.5%, to $49.35, while Empire Company settled 15 cents to $30.47.
Utilities sank, too, as ATCO lost 19 cents to $44.94.
ON BAYSTREET
The TSX Venture Exchange inched up 0.68 points to 623.18
All but two of the 12 TSX subgroups were positive on the day, with health-care screaming higher 4.1%, while real estate clicked 0.8% and gold shone brighter 0.5%.
Only utilities and consumer staples were negative, each down 0.3%.
ON WALLSTREET
Stocks closed marginally lower on Tuesday as investors weighed ongoing trade negotiations between China and the U.S. along with strong earnings from Target.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average subsided 12.34 to 25,807.31, as shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance dipped more than 2%.
The S&P 500 faded 3.16 points to 2,789.65
The NASDAQ Composite dipped 1.21 points to 7,576.36
On Tuesday, investors cheered stronger-than-expected quarterly results out of retailer Target, sending its shares up around 5%. The company posted earnings per share of $1.53 and revenue of $22.977 billion. Both numbers topped analyst estimates.
Target's same-store sales, a key metric watched by Wall Street, rose 4%. The company also said its digital sales grew by more than 25%.
Kohl's shares also rose 7.3% on better-than-forecast quarterly earnings, which were boosted by strong sales during the holidays. Same-store sales at Kohl's climbed 1% in the previous quarter, well above a 0.3% estimate.
Shares of Willis Towers Watson surged more than 5% after Aon confirmed it was in the "early stages" of considering an all-share combination with the company.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Monday he thought the two countries were "on the cusp" of reaching a deal that would end the trade skirmish.
Pompeo's comments come after sources told media outlets that U.S.-China trade negotiations are in the "final stages" and that a summit in Mar-a-Lago later this month could close the deal.
Prices for the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury grew, dropping yields to 2.72% from Monday’s 2.73%. Treasury prices and yields move in opposite directions.
Oil prices erased six cents to $56.53 U.S. a barrel.
Gold prices gained $1.20 to $1,288.70 U.S. an ounce.
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