More records were surpassed Thursday as the situation involving the U.S. and Iraq showed more signs of stabilizing.
The TSX Composite Index progressed 67.75 points to an all-time high close of 17,235.57
The Canadian dollar slid 0.18 cents to 76.53 cents U.S.
Health-care pointed the way upward, as Aurora Cannabis added 16 cents, or 7.1%, to $2.43, while Cronos Group shuttled ahead 57 cents, or 6.6%, to $9.22.
Among tech issues, Photon Control acquired six cents, or 4.8%, to $1.30, while Kinaxis triumphed $2.96, or 2.8%, to $107.83.
Energy stocks untracked themselves, too, as Secure Energy Services vaulted 26 cents, or 5.3%, to $5.14, while Parex Resources added 63 cents, or 2.6%, to $24.71
Materials did not fare so well, as Labrador Iron lost 58 cents, or 2.4%, to $23.30, while First Quantum Minerals weakened 38 cents, or 3.1%, to $12.05.
Gold stocks paled as Eldorado Gold retreated 32 cents, or 3.2%, to $9.72, while NovaGold removed 34 cents, or 3.1%, to $10.76.
In communications, Quebecor fell back 53 cents, or 1.6%, to $32.75, while TELUS Corp. lost 32 cents to $50.22.
On the economic front, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation's seasonally-adjusted annual rates of housing starts in Canada fell 3% from a month earlier to 197,329 units in December from an upwardly revised 204,300 in November and missing market estimates of 210,000
Moreover, Statistics Canada reported that building permits’ total value decreased 2.4% to $8.1 billion in November. Declines were reported in six provinces, with the largest decrease in Ontario (-5.7% to $3.2 billion).
ON BAYSTREET
The TSX Venture Exchange backtracked 0.25 points to 577.66
All but three of the 12 TSX subgroups were positive on the day, as health-care and information technology improved 1.9% each, and energy gained 0.8%.
The three laggards were weighed materials, fading 0.6%, gold, down 0.5%, and communications, shedding 0.4%.
ON WALLSTREET
Stocks jumped to record highs on Thursday as tensions between Iran and the U.S. eased for the time being, with tech shares outperforming.
The Dow Jones Industrials soared 211.81 points to 28,956.90, inching closer to 29,000 for the first time.
The S&P 500 improved 21.65 points to 3,274.30.
The NASDAQ hiked 74.18 points to 9,203.43, to yet another all-time high.
Apple shares jumped 2.1% to a record high after Chinese government data showed that iPhone sales rose 18% in December in the country.
The S&P 500 tech sector rose more than 1%, led by a 2.4% gain in AMD shares. The chipmaker rose after an analyst at Mizuho Securities upgraded them to buy from neutral, citing a potentially stronger server market in 2020.
Goldman Sachs climbed 2.1% to boost the Dow after Bank of America upgraded the bank to buy from neutral, citing an attractive valuation and the benefits of a possible global economic rebound. Boeing, meanwhile, gained 1.5% after President Donald Trump said he doesn’t believe a 737 crash in Iran was due to a mechanical error.
Kohl’s shares dropped 6.5% after issuing earnings guidance to the low end of their fiscal 2019 forecast. Meanwhile, Bed Bath & Beyond pulled back more than 19% on news it is delaying the closure of 20 stores until fiscal 2020.
Wall Street also digested strong employment data on Thursday, which helped lift sentiment. Weekly jobless claims fell by 9,000 to 214,000 from 223,000. That’s better than the expected print of 220,000.
Thursday’s jobless claims data follows stronger-than-expected private payroll numbers released Wednesday. ADP and Moody’s Analytics said U.S. private payrolls increased by 202,000 in December, topping a Dow Jones estimate of 150,000.
Those numbers precede the U.S. Labor Department’s release of its monthly jobs report on Friday. Economists polled by Dow Jones expect the U.S. economy added 160,000 jobs last month.
Prices for the 10-Year U.S. Treasury regained ground, dropping yields to 1.86% from Wednesday’s 1.87%. Treasury prices and yields move in opposite directions.
Oil prices were unchanged at $59.61 U.S. a barrel.
Gold prices lost eight dollars to $1,552.20 U.S. an ounce.
