Canada's main stock index was uncertain at the open on Thursday as gold and energy stocks took a hit from a drop in commodity prices.
The S&P/TSX Composite Index eked up 10.31 points to open Thursday at 16,142.84
The Canadian dollar docked 0.11 cents at 74.44 cents U.S.
Chemicals group Johnson Matthey has secured a site in Poland to produce ultra-high energy battery materials and signed a 10-year supply deal with Canada's Nemaska Lithium as it seeks to grow its exposure to the electric vehicle market.
Nemaska shares gained a penny, or 3.1%, to 33 cents.
Desjardins revises the rating on Valener Inc. to tender from hold. Valener shares gained $2.42, or 10.3%, to $25.98.
CIBC cut the price target on AGF Management to $6.00 from $6.50. AGF shares was down eight cents, or 1.4%, to $5.46.
RBC raised the price target on Emera Inc. to $56.00 from $53.00. Emera shares gained six cents to $50.65.
ON BAYSTREET
The TSX Venture Exchange subtracted 7.21 points, or 1.2%, to 619.09
Eight of the 12 Toronto subgroups were higher in the first hour, as consumer discretionaries gathered 0.9%, while industrials were better by 0.8%, and information technology picked up 0.7%.
The four decliners were weighed most by health-care, down 2.2%, gold, off 1.8%, and materials, trailing Wednesday’s close by 0.8%.
ON WALLSTREET
Stocks rose slightly on Thursday as trade talks between China and the U.S. restarted while fears that the economy may be slowing down persisted.
The Dow Jones Industrials gained 67.41 points to start Thursday at 25,693
The S&P 500 increased 10.34 points to 2,815.71
The NASDAQ Composite recovered 33.28 points to 7,676.65
Accenture gained $10.71, or 6.4%, to $177.19, after reporting earnings Thursday morning.
Various media reported overnight that Chinese officials made unprecedented offers regarding force technology transfers as well as other major sticking points. The report comes as U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin arrived in Beijing for further negotiations.
Trade between China and the U.S. has been a key issue for Wall Street as investors fear a prolonged standoff between the world's largest economies could hinder corporate profits and economic growth.
In economic news, the U.S. economy grew by 2.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the government's final read released Thursday.
Prices for the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury were static at Thursday 2.39%, their lowest level since Dec. 15, 2017.
Oil prices dropped 48 cents to $58.93 U.S. a barrel.
Gold prices slid $19.80 to $1,297.10 U.S. an ounce.
