Canada's main stock index treaded water on Tuesday, after marking its biggest daily surge in more than six weeks in the previous session, as losses in mining shares weighed.
The S&P/TSX Composite Index was just 5.22 points south of breakeven to greet noon at 16,222.84
The Canadian dollar sank 0.29 cents at 74.83 cents U.S.
The largest percentage gainers on the TSX were Kirkland Lake Gold, which jumped $1.70, or 4.3%, to $41.13, whileTorex Gold Resources, faded from earlier gains and found its shares unchanged at 13 cents.
Canadian Apartment Properties REIT fell $1.51, or 3%, the most on the TSX, to $49.46. The second-biggest decliner was Interfor Corp, down 58 cents to 3.6%, to $15.61
ON BAYSTREET
The TSX Venture Exchange slid 1.48 points to 624.71
The 12 Toronto subgroups were evenly divided between gainers and losers, as gold improved in price 0.5%, materials and communications each advanced 0.2%.
The half-dozen laggards were weighed most by health-care dropped 1%, real-estate, 0.6% less solid, while industrials sagged 0.5%
ON WALLSTREET
Stocks fell on Tuesday as investors digested a strong rally from the previous session, while a decline in Walgreens Boots Alliance shares also dampened sentiment.
The Dow Jones Industrials slumped 78.46 points to 26,179.96, as Walgreens lagged.
The S&P 500 handed back 1.13 points to 2,866.08. Consumer staples ended up as the worst-performing sector in the S&P 500, sliding about 0.7%. Materials proved the only positive sector, rising 0.2%.
The NASDAQ Composite recovered 9.9 points to 7,838.81
A sharp decline in Walgreens Boots Alliance also kept the market in check on Tuesday. Shares of the Dow member fell 12.3% on weaker-than-expected earnings. Walgreens also lowered its earnings forecast for 2019.
Walgreens results come ahead of what Wall Street expects to be a tough earnings season. First-quarter earnings for the S&P 500 are expected to have fallen nearly 4% from the year-earlier period
AngioDynamics and Dave & Buster's Entertainment are also among firms reporting earnings Tuesday.
U.S. manufacturing activity expanded last month, data showed, rebounding from its lowest level since late 2016. A separate survey showed China's factory activity also rebounded, expanding at its fastest pace in eight months.
Data released Tuesday showed capital goods orders fell 0.1% in February, while economists expected an unchanged reading.
Prices for the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury gained slightly, lowering yields to 2.48% from Monday’s 2.5%. Treasury prices and yields move in opposite directions.
Oil prices obtained 80 cents to $62.39 U.S. a barrel.
Gold prices eked up 10 cents to $1,294.30 U.S. an ounce.
