Equities in Canada’s biggest marketplace managed to stay positive by the closing bell on Monday, as health-care concerns performed strongly. The market was also cheered by smartphone whiz BlackBerry on exciting news.
The S&P/TSX Composite finished off its highs of the day Monday, but took on 20.24 points to 15,272.44
The Canadian dollar dropped 0.73 cents to 74.53 cents U.S.
Health-care rumbled ahead, with Valeant Pharmaceuticals Inc jumping 67 cents, or 3.6% to $19.52, and Concordia International leaping 24 cents, or 8.3%, to $3.14.
Tech stocks gained as BlackBerry climbed 26 cents, or 2.6%, to $10.37, as it opened an autonomous driving research centre. Constellation Software galloped $10.61, or 1.8%, to $614.75.
Among real-estate issues, Brookfield Asset Management eked ahead 12 cents, or 0.3%, to $44.75.
In the consumer discretionary sector, Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers docked five cents to $50.08.
The materials group, which includes precious and base metals miners and fertilizer companies, tailed off, with Lundin Mining slumping 41 cents, or 6.1% at $6.33.
Copper producer First Quantum Minerals fell 41 cents, or 2.9%, to $13.87.
ON BAYSTREET
The TSX Venture Exchange fell 14.14 points, or 1.9%, to 721.08
All but two of the 12 TSX subgroups gained ground with health-care improving 2.3%, information technology gaining 1.5%, and real-estate up 0.7%.
The two laggards were consumer discretionary stocks, down 0.5%, and materials, off 0.3%.
ON WALLSTREET
U.S. stocks traded slightly higher Monday as telecoms led and traders bought some recently less-favoured sectors.
The Dow Jones Industrials retained 34.87 points in gains to close at 19,878.28, with Microsoft the greatest advancer and Merck the greatest laggard.
The S&P 500 gained 4.46 points to 2,262.53, with telecoms leading eight sectors higher and energy the greatest decliner.
The NASDAQ composite index gained 20.28 points to 5,457.44
Telecommunications traded more than 1% higher to lead advancers, followed by real estate and technology in afternoon trade.
Energy, the third best sector performer since the election, lagged the broader market Monday. Financials, the top sector since the election, attempted gains in afternoon trade.
Economically speaking, the flash U.S. Markit Purchasing Managers Index services for December came in at 53.4, down slightly from 54.6 in November.
Fed Chair Janet Yellen said the U.S. has the strongest jobs market in nearly a decade, and there are indications wage growth is picking up. Yellen was speaking at a University of Baltimore commencement ceremony.
Treasury prices for the 10-year note sprinted ahead, lowering yields to 2.53% from Friday’s 2.6%. Treasury prices and yields move in opposite directions.
Oil prices inched up three cents to $51.93 U.S. a barrel
Gold prices improved $3.90 to $1,141.30 U.S. an ounce.
