Stocks in Canada’s biggest centre were higher shortly after the open, as gold miners, bolstered by rebounding bullion prices, helped lead the market broadly higher.
The S&P/TSX composite index moved higher 54.47 points to open the day and the week at 15,394.24
The Canadian dollar regained 0.32 cents to 82.58 cents U.S.
The consumer staples sector proved the strongest early on, as shares in Alimentation Couche-Tard sprinted $1.46, or 3.2%, to $46.98.
Gold stocks were also more solid, as Lake Shore Gold hiked seven cents or 5.8% to $1.27.
One note of dissent was sounded in the real-estate sector, what with Granite REIT trailing 50 cents, or 1.2%, to $41.35
ON BAYSTREET
The TSX Venture Exchange tacked on 2.03 points to 701.46
All but three of the 14 Toronto subgroups were up in the first hour, with consumer staples advancing 1.3%, gold jumping 1.1%, and materials better by 0.7%
The only laggards were in real-estate, down 0.2%, metals and mining, down 0.1%, and utilities, off 0.04%.
ON WALLSTREET
U.S. stocks traded higher on Monday, following positive momentum from Europe, as investors looked ahead to a week of Federal Reserve speeches and economic data that could shed light on the timing of an interest rate hike.
The Dow Jones Industrials gained 95.22 points to 18,119.28,
The S&P 500 index picked up 10.97 points to 2,119.26,
The NASDAQ rose 31.79 points to 5,037.18
Later in the day, several central bank policymakers will speak, including a keynote address from Chicago Fed's Charles Evans at the annual meeting of the Columbus Economic Development Board. San Francisco Fed President, John Williams, will speak on job creation at a separate event.
Analysts also noted market optimism on potential for mergers and acquisitions. Most recently, seed company Monsanto made an offer to buy Switzerland's Syngenta, Bloomberg reported last week, citing sources.
Earnings season continues, with EOG Resources and Tenet Healthcare among firms expected to report after the close.
Reporting before the bell, Comcast, the NBCUniversal parent earned 81 cents U.S. per share for the first quarter, seven cents above estimates, with revenue also above forecasts. Comcast also added $2.5 billion U.S. to its existing stock buyback program.
Sysco, the number-one U.S. food distributor, reported a 2% fall in quarterly profit, hurt by a rise in meat and poultry prices, a strong dollar and higher expenses.
McDonald's is also in focus, with the fast-food giant announcing plans to accelerate refranchising.
Ahead of Friday's important jobs report for the month of April, factory orders for March showed a gain of 2.1%, the biggest increase in eight months and above expectations of a 1.9% increase.
Prices for 10-year U.S. Treasuries eked up, lowering yields to 2.10% from Friday’s 2.11%. Treasury prices and yields move in opposite directions.
Oil prices slid 47 cents to $58.68 U.S.
Gold prices recovered $13.60 to $1,188.10 U.S.
