Stocks Finish Flat

Equities in Toronto struggled by the finish on Tuesday, but nosed into positive country, mostly on the strength of tech and gold issues.

The TSX Composite Index squeezed higher 3.02 points to finish the day at 17,035.88

The Canadian dollar regrouped 0.18 cents to 75.34 cents U.S.

In a bright spot, Teamsters Canada and Canadian National Railway said they reached a tentative deal to end a strike at the country's largest railroad that had entered its eighth day, disrupting supply chains across the country.

CN shares rose $2.08, or 1.7%, to $122.99.

Tech shares were the champions of the day, as Shopify towered $21.58, or 5.1%, to $443.43, while EXFO gained 13 cents, or 2.3%, to $5.87.

Gold took the silver (so to speak) with Yamana Gold gaining 18 cents, or 4.2%, to $4.76, while Seabridge Gold gathered 55 cents, or 3.4%, to $16.68.

Consumer staples also strengthened, primarily Premium Brands, better by $2.27, or 2.7%, to $88.03, while Maple Leaf Foods moved higher 86 cents, or 3.7%, to $24.15.

Energy stocks, however, were on the downside, as EnCana dropped 23 cents, or 4.2%, to $5.25, while Secure Energy Systems faltered 20 cents, or 4.5%, to $4.23.

In health-care, HEXO tumbled 24 cents, or 8.2%, to $2.69, while Aurora Cannabis sank 13 cents, or 3.9%, to $3.20.

Financials were also the poorer, as Sun Life set $1.36, or 2.25, to $60.07, while IGM Financial slid 42 cents, or 1.1%, to $38.14.

ON BAYSTREET

The TSX Venture Exchange gained back 1.51 points to 531.73

Seven of the 12 Toronto subgroups were higher by the end of the day, with information technology zooming 1.8%, gold up 1.4%, and consumer staples better by 0.9%.

The five laggards were weighed most by energy, down 1.5%, health-care ailing 1.1%, and financials settling 0.6%.

ON WALLSTREET

Stocks rose slightly on Tuesday as retail shares outperformed, lifting the major averages to fresh record highs

The Dow Jones Industrials gained 55.21 points to close Tuesday at another all-time record of 28,121.68.

The S&P 500 added 6.88 points to 3,140.52 to Monday’s record.

The NASDAQ added 15.44 points to 8,647.93, improving on Monday’s all-time peak.

Retailers rose broadly after Best Buy posted quarterly earnings that beat analyst expectations, sending its stock up more than 9%. The electronics retailer also raised its fiscal 2020 earnings forecast. Dick’s Sporting Goods also rallied more than 18% on better-than-expected earnings.

On the data front, the S&P Case-Shiller index showed home price gains accelerated in September, gaining 3.2% annually. Consumer confidence dipped slightly in November, data from the Conference Board showed.

Prices for the 10-Year U.S. Treasury moved slightly upward, lowering yields to 1.74% from Monday’s 1.76%. Treasury prices and yields move in opposite directions.

Oil prices tacked on 34 cents to $58.35 U.S. a barrel.

Gold prices recovered $5.30 to $1,462.20 U.S. an ounce.