The Toronto stock market finished the first trading day of the New Year higher, pushed up by gains across most sectors.
The S&P/TSX composite index improved 121.21 points to end Friday at 14,753.65
The Canadian dollar slid 1.05 cents to 85.02 cents U.S.
Gold stocks hiked, most notably, Goldcorp, which increased in price 53 cents, or 2.5%, to $22.04, and Iamgold, up 13 cents, or 4.1%, to $3.27.
March copper dipped a penny to $2.82 U.S. a pound. Teck Resources shares took on 30 cents, or 1.9%, to $16.18.
In corporate news, Ballard Power Systems says it won't achieve its guidance for 2014 revenue and adjusted earnings due to alleged contract breaches by Azure Hydrogen, which was licensed to assemble Ballard products for the Chinese market.
Ballard says it won't recognize any of the $3 million in revenue that it had expected to book from Azure in the fourth quarter and will record an impairment charge of $4.5 million from outstanding receivables owed by Azure. Its shares fell 9.7%, or 23 cents, to $2.14 on the Toronto Stock Exchange.
Financials were among the worst-off subgroups, as Scotiabank gave back 62 cents, to $65.62.
It was 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 11.29 points to 706.82.
All but three of the 14 Toronto subgroups gained on the day, led by gold, ahead 3.2%, metals and mining issues, up 3%, and materials, growing 2.4%.
The three laggards were financials, down 0.4%, industrials, sliding 0.3%, and consumer staples, off 0.1%.
ON WALLSTREET
U.S. stocks turned lower on Friday, with the S&P 500 extending losses into a third session, after economic reports showed manufacturing slowing at the end of 2014.
The Dow Jones Industrials gained 9.92 points to end Friday at 17,832, with Nike leading blue-chip declines that included 17 of 30 components.
The S&P 500 moved lower 0.70 points to 2,058.20, with consumer discretionary the greatest laggard and telecommunications faring the best of its 10 main industry groups.
The NASDAQ index moved downward 9.24 points to 4,726.81.
Shares of Bed Bath & Beyond rose after Canaccord Genuity upgraded the retailer to buy from hold.
In the economic realm, the Institute for Supply Management 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 2.12% from Wednesday’s 2.17%. Treasury prices and yields move in opposite directions.
Oil prices moved lower by 63 cents per barrel to $52.64 U.S.
Gold prices gained $2.90 an ounce at $1,189.40 U.S.
