Equities in Canada’s largest centre took a small step backward Friday from the soaring heights of the past few weeks, as health-care losses overrode gained tech and real-estate stocks.
The TSX Composite Index deducted 11.94 points to close a short week Friday at 17,168.21
The Canadian dollar gained 0.15 cents to 76.42 cents U.S.
Markets were closed on Wednesday for Christmas and Thursday for Boxing Day.
The index is set for its best year since the global financial crisis, powered by returning confidence in the global economy in the wake of an imminent U.S.-China trade truce and hopes of a smooth Brexit.
Health-care stocks had the toughest time of it, as HEXO dropped 50 cents, or 19.5%, to $2.07, while Canopy Growth slid $1.17, or 4.5%, to $25.10.
Materials also pointed downward, as Silvercorp Metals fell 19 cents, or 2.5%, to $7.38, while MAG Silver sank 31 cents, or 25, to $15.39.
Among consumer discretionary stocks, BRP Inc. subtracted $1.04, or 1.7%, to $59.58, while Great Canadian Gaming Corp. lost 42 cents, or 1%, to $42.95.
Gainers included in their lot tech issues such as Photon Control, up 12 cents, or 9.3%, to $1.41, while Shopify popped $9.61, or 1.8%, to $535.00.
In real-estate, Interrent REIT climbed 21 cents, or 1.3%, to $15.86, while Dream Industrials REIT added 12 cents to $13.28
Energy stocks moved up, with Parex Resources collecting 29 cents, or 1.2%, to $24.08, while EnCana picked up four cents to $6.03.
The most heavily traded shares by volume were Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, which lost 54 cents to $108.18, on nearly two million shares, Aurora Cannabis, down eight cents, or 3.1%, to $2.54, on more than 4.2 million shares, and Pengrowth Energy, unchanged at 5.5 cents, on a volume of just over three million.
ON BAYSTREET
The TSX Venture Exchange added 7.58 points to 563.58
Eight of the 12 subgroups ended the day and week in negative country, weighed most by health-care, down 2.6%, materials, skidding 0.5%, and consumer discretionary issues, off 0.2%.
The four gainers were co-led by real-estate and information technology, each up 0.3%, while energy acquired 0.1%.
ON WALLSTREET
Stocks notched fresh records on Friday as year-end optimism continued to drive the rally.
The Dow Jones Industrials gained 35.48 points to 28,656.87, a record close.
The S&P 500 nosed up 0.11 points to 3,240.02, on track for its fifth straight week of gains
The NASDAQ lost 15.77 points to 9,006.62
A year-end rally in December has already ushered the U.S. equity indexes to historic levels and within reach of the market’s best calendar year in more than two decades.
The tech-heavy NASDAQ topped the 9,000 mark for the first time Thursday, lifted by a jump in Amazon shares on a record holiday shopping season.
The S&P 500, up already 29.2% in 2019, is inches away from reaching historic proportions. The benchmark will post its best year since 1997 with an annual gain of more than 29.6%.
Prices for the 10-Year U.S. Treasury gained ground, lowering yields to 1.88% from Thursday’s 1.9%. Treasury prices and yields move in opposite directions.
Oil prices squeezed up one cent to $61.69 U.S. a barrel.
Gold prices picked up nine cents at $1,515.30 U.S. an ounce.
