There were positive readings for Canada's main stock index on Friday, the first trading day of 2015.
The S&P/TSX composite index gathered 21.01 points to begin the year at 14,663.45
The Canadian dollar slid 0.65 cents to 85.42 cents U.S.
Barrick Gold says Chile's Supreme Court has declined to hear its appeal of a lower court's decision involving fines imposed on its Pascua-Lama project by the country's environmental regulator. Barrick Gold shares dipped 22 cents to $12.30.
It’s a light day for economic news, save that the seasonally adjusted RBC Canadian Manufacturing PMI remained in firm expansion territory at the end of the year, signaling a further improvement in manufacturers' operating conditions.
However, the headline PMI fell from November's 55.3 to a three-month low of 53.9 in December, suggesting that operating conditions improved at a slightly weaker rate. The average PMI reading for the fourth quarter of 54.8 was the joint-best since the third quarter of 2011.
ON BAYSTREET
The TSX Venture Exchange gained 0.28 points to 695.81.
All but four of the 14 Toronto subgroups were in the green in the day’s first hour, as information technology and health-care stocks were each positive 1.2%, while global base metals were better by 0.8%
The three laggards were gold, down 1.4%, materials, sliding 0.5%, and consumer staples, down 0.1%. Energy stocks were flat to begin the day.
ON WALLSTREET
U.S. stocks jumped on Friday, bouncing back after sharp losses the prior session, as investors looked at a reading on construction spending in November and the Institute for Supply Management's manufacturing index.
The Dow Jones Industrials took on 98.86 points to 17,921.93, with Intel leading blue-chip gains that extended to 25 of 30 components.
The S&P 500 moved higher 6.64 points to 2,065.54, with health-care the best performing of its 10 industry groups and energy the sole laggard.
The NASDAQ index pointed up 18.70 points to 4,754.75.
Shares of Bed Bath & Beyond rose in early New York trading after Canaccord Genuity upgraded the retailer to buy from hold.
The ISM index came in at 55.5 in December, below expectations of a decline to 57.6 from 58.7 in November; separately, construction spending dropped 0.3% in November, versus a projected 0.3% gain.
Prices for 10-year U.S. Treasuries gained ground, weighing yields to 2.14% from Wednesday’s 2.17%. Treasury prices and yields move in opposite directions.
Oil prices ditched 34 cents per barrel to $52.93 U.S.
Gold prices faded $12.00 an ounce at $1,172.10 U.S.
