Equities in Toronto extended gains on Tuesday, tracking rises in stock markets around the world spurred by optimism that a deal can be reached to stave off a Greek debt default.
The S&P/TSX composite index gained 90.79 points to greet noon at 14,881.27, after triple-digit gains Monday.
The Canadian dollar faded 0.07 cents to 80.17 cents U.S.
Technical drivers, including trading in the aftermath of Friday's "quadruple witching", in which a number of stock options contracts expired, also helped the TSX.
Metals and mining stocks were the most prosperous during the morning session, with First Quantum Minerals sprinting out 3.3% to $17.48.
Top gainers among heavily weighted stocks included Royal Bank of Canada, which rose 0.7% to $77.94, and Toronto-Dominion Bank, which advanced 0.7% to $54.01.
BlackBerry fell 3.7% to $10.90, on uncertainty about what factors drove growth in the company's crucial software segment during the first quarter.
The market's overall upbeat tone pushed resource stocks higher despite lower commodity prices.
Other key gainers included pipeline company Enbridge Inc, which rose 1.3% to $59.52, and miner Goldcorp Inc, up 2.4% at $20.47.
ON BAYSTREET
The TSX Venture Exchange subtracted 0.62 points to 681.72
All but one of the 14 TSX subgroups were positive by noon, led by metals and mining, up 1.7%, global base metals, advancing 1.2%, and financials, better by 0.8%.
Only information technology missed the flatline, falling 0.4%.
ON WALLSTREET
U.S. stocks traded in a narrow range on Tuesday as investors digested mixed economic reports for indications on the timing of a rate hike and remained optimistic on a Greece deal.
The Dow Jones Industrials erased earlier gains, but remained positive 12.54 points to pause for lunch at 18,132.32, with UnitedHealth leading advancers and DuPont the greatest decliner.
The S&P 500 index dipped 0.25 points to 2,122.60, with telecommunications leading four sectors higher and utilities the greatest laggard.
The NASDAQ skidded 4.11 points from Monday’s all-time high close, to 5,149.86
BlackBerry missed estimates on both the top and bottom lines, but its tech and software licensing revenue jumped from a year earlier and its adjusted profit margins were also above expectations.
Darden Restaurants reported adjusted quarterly profit of $1.08 U.S. per share, 15 cents above estimates, with revenue also beating. Darden also said it would pursue a spin-off of its real estate assets into a REIT, followed by a leaseback of the properties involved.
AT&T stock was upgraded to overweight from neutral at Barclays, which cited the potential positive effects of AT&T's purchase of DirecTV.
The morning's economic data was mixed, with durable goods falling more than expected and the initial read on U.S. Purchasing Managers Index the lowest since October 2013.
U.S. durable goods data for May showed a decline of 1.8%, a greater decline than expected. Ex-transportation, the figure rose 0.5%.
The core figure of non-defense capital goods orders excluding aircraft rose 0.4%, reversing a 0.3% decline in April.
The FHFA Housing Price Index showed an increase of 0.3% in April. New home sales rose 2.2% in May to a seven-year high.
Financial data firm Markit said its preliminary U.S. Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index declined to 53.4 in June, it lowest since October 2013, from a final May reading of 54. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast the June figure would be 54.2
Prices for 10-year U.S. Treasuries gained back lost ground, lowering yields to Monday’s 2.38%. Treasury prices and yields move in opposite directions.
Oil prices dropped 64 cents a barrel to $59.74 U.S.
Gold prices faded $5.50 at $1,178.60 U.S. an ounce.
