Equities in Toronto stumbled out of the gate Wednesday, as losses in energy trumped gains in health-care and tech stocks.
The TSX dipped 16.6 points to open the mid-week session at 19,496.30
The Canadian dollar fell 0.12 cents to 76.27 cents U.S.
On the economic front, Statistics Canada reported real gross domestic product rose 0.8% in the second quarter, driven by increased business investment in inventories, non-residential structures, machinery and equipment, and household spending on services and semi-durable goods.
ON BAYSTREET
The TSX Venture Exchange eked up 1.91 points to 637.24.
The 12 TSX subgroups were evenly divided, with health-care sprinting 4.1%, information technology clicking 2.1% higher, and consumer staples improving 1.1%,
The half-dozen laggards were weighed most by energy, 1% less energetic, while gold and materials each surrendered 0.5%.
ON WALLSTREET
The S&P 500 rose on Wednesday as Wall Street attempted to snap a three-day losing streak and end August on a high note.
The Dow Jones Industrials crept up 7.42 points at the outset to begin the session at 31,798.29.
The S&P 500 gained 11.02 points to 3,997.18.
The NASDAQ Composite picked up 85.38 points to 11,967.48.
The broad market index rose 0.2% and tried to find its way back to the 4,000 level after falling below it in the previous session for the first time since July. The NASDAQ Composite advanced 1.1%, while the Dow wavered over the flatline.
All the major averages are on track to end the month about 3% lower.
Shares of PayPal jumped about 5% after Bank of America upgraded the stock, saying Elliott Management will likely push for more changes at the company that will drive up earnings. Netflix shares also gained 5% after social media company Snap lost two big executives to the streaming service.
Treasury prices eked higher, lowering yields to 3.11%, Tuesday’s 3.13%. Treasury prices and yields move in opposite direction.
Oil prices fell $1.54 to $90.10 U.S. a barrel.
Gold prices tumbled $8.70 to $1,727.60 U.S. an ounce.
