Equities in Toronto were in the green on Friday as strong U.S. data and higher energy shares were offset by concerns about the European economy.
The S&P/TSX composite index gained 64.33 points to end the day and the week at 14,843.10
The Canadian dollar tacked on 0.73 cents to 88.69 cents U.S.
Shares of energy producers advanced, with Talisman Energy rising 1.4% to $6.41 and Encana climbing 2.4% to $20.21.
The gold-mining sector jumped, boosted by a stronger bullion price. Goldcorp added 5.2% to $23.04, and Barrick Gold gained 5.5% to $13.83.
The information technology sector took the biggest bruises, with BlackBerry left, well, black and blue, its shares suffering $1.01, or 8%, on the day, to close at $12.64.
Also in a bad way were industrials, most notably Westport Innovations, sliding 11 cents, or 1.6%, to $6.61.
Economically speaking, the euro-zone economy recorded modest growth in the third quarter, with France beating market estimates and Germany closely avoiding a recession. The data showed that the region remained sluggish and could be in need of more stimulus measures.
At home, Statistics Canada reported that manufacturing sales increased 2.1% in September to $53.0 billion, the eighth gain in nine months.
ON BAYSTREET
The TSX Venture Exchange leaped 11.76 points to 766.63.
Eight of the 14 Toronto subgroups were led by gold, shining brighter by 5.8%, materials, stronger by 3.1%, and the metals and mining group, climbing 2.2%
The half-dozen laggards were weighed mostly by information technology, down 1%, industrials, skidding 0.6%, and utilities, off 0.3%.
ON WALLSTREET
U.S. stocks were little changed on Friday, with benchmarks not far from record highs, as investors tracked the price of oil and after October retail sales rose 0.3%, just above expectations, and consumer confidence jumped in November.
The Dow Jones Industrials slid 18.05 points to 17,634.74, with Home Depot pacing blue-chip losses.
The S&P 500 was up 0.49 points at 2,039.82, with health care the worst performer and energy the best among its 10 industry groups. The NASDAQ index gained 8.40 points to 4,688.54.
Baker Hughes rose after the oilfield-services provider confirmed discussions with Halliburton. Hertz Global Holdings declined after the car-rental company said it would restate three years of financial results.
Another economic report from the government on Friday had U.S. import prices falling in September the most in two years as the cost of petroleum products fell and a stronger dollar made it cheaper for Americans to buy goods from abroad.
Prices for 10-year U.S. Treasuries gained slightly, lowering yields to 2.32% from Thursday’s 2.35%. Treasury prices and yields move in opposite directions.
Oil prices gained $1.77 to $75.98 U.S.
Gold prices vaulted $28.60 to $1,190.10 U.S.
