Equities on Canada’s biggest index rose on Thursday as stocks rallied broadly in light holiday trading, at one point touching its highest level since April 2015.
The S&P/TSX Composite jumped 47.88 points to greet noon Thursday at 15,408.98
The Canadian dollar muscled higher 0.47 cents to 74.13 cents U.S.
Barrick Gold rose 4.9% to $21.72, Silver Wheaton Corp advanced 6.3% to $26.64, and Agnico Eagle Mines climbed 5.3% to $57.81.
Suncor Energy was also a top index mover, rising 0.8% to $44.45. It helped offset losses among other energy companies, keeping the energy group flat.
Cenovus Energy eased 0.7% to $20.36, and Canadian Natural Resources dipped 0.3% to $43.52.
The heavily weighted financials group gained, while industrials, home to Canadian National Railway and Bombardier, among others, rose 0.2%.
ON BAYSTREET
The TSX Venture Exchange added 8.28 points, or 1.1%, to 754.22
All but three of the 12 TSX subgroups started the session higher, with gold sprinting 3.3%, materials ahead 1.9%, and consumer staples, up 0.4%.
The three laggards were financials and utilities, each down 0.03%, and industrials, inching lower 0.01%.
ON WALLSTREET
Equities stateside fell Thursday after opening higher, but some investors can't agree on whether the market has checked out for the year or is just taking a breather before sprinting to the finish.
The Dow Jones Industrials dumped 22.73 points to 19,810.95, after Wednesday’s triple-digit loss, led by Goldman Sachs, which was trading near its lows of the session. The firm's stock had the biggest impact on the Dow, dropping the index by 20 points, followed by JPMorgan Chase and Boeing.
The S&P 500 dropped 2.51 points to 2,247.41, following its biggest one-day drop since Oct. 11 after every sector turned negative
The NASDAQ composite index fell 17.01 points to 5,421.30
On the data front, jobless claims declined by 10,000 to 265,000, according to Thursday morning's U.S. Labor Department report, the 95th straight week that claims were below 300,000, a threshold associated with a healthy labour market. Jobless claims were expected to drop to 264,000 for the week ending Dec. 24, according to economists.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Commerce Department said on Thursday the country's trade deficit in goods grew last month. The initial estimate, which does not include trade in services, showed that the country exported $1.2 billion less in November than in October. Imports rose by $2.2 billion during the month.
Oil prices were roughly flat as U.S. crude inventories rose by 614,000 barrels.
Treasury prices for the 10-year note gained ground, lowering yields to 2.48% from Wednesday’s 2.51%. Treasury prices and yields move in opposite directions.
Oil prices dipped 28 cents to $53.78 U.S. a barrel
Gold prices gained $18.00 to $1,158.90 U.S. an ounce.
