ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

Skip to main content

S&P/TSX composite edges higher, U.S. markets mixed

A currency trader walks near the screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) at the foreign exchange dealing room in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, April 29, 2021. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man) A currency trader walks near the screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) at the foreign exchange dealing room in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, April 29, 2021. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Share
TORONTO -

Canada's main stock index edged higher Thursday on gains from consumer staples and metals as investors made defensive moves ahead of a possible pullback.

Beneath the relatively flat market were big defensive moves toward pipelines, precious metals like gold and other safety assets such as 10-year bonds, along with large cap stocks, said Mike Archibald, vice-president and portfolio manager with AGF Investments Inc.

"The broader index isn't doing a lot at the headline level, so the TSX is basically flat ... yet underneath the surface, there continues to be still a lot of volatility from sector to sector," he said in an interview.

Archibald said he's a bit cautious given the seasonal fluctuations and the fact that U.S. company stocks aren't benefiting despite producing strong quarterly results.

"There's a reasonable likelihood we're going to get some kind of pullback here in this market, and I think that's probably healthy consolidation and then we can probably start to resume the uptrend sometime later in the summer or into early fall."

Archibald said the catalyst and timing for the move lower is unknown although August is not usually a good month.

"A lot of the indicators that I pay attention to in terms of risk-on and risk-off are decisively pointing to a bit of a softer environment ahead of us and so I think it makes some sense to to be a bit cautious here when putting new money to work," he said.

The S&P/TSX composite index closed up 36.48 points to 20,183.72.

In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 53.79 points at 34,987.02. The S&P 500 index was down 14.27 points at 4,360.03, while the Nasdaq composite was down 101.82 points at 14,543.13.

Consumer staples led the TSX, gaining two per cent as shares of Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. rose 5.5 per cent and hit a record high a day after the company held an investor day that prompted several analysts to upgrade the stock.

Railways pushed industrials higher while gold helped materials with B2Gold Corp. up 4.7 per cent and Hudbay Minerals Inc. up 3.5 per cent.

The August gold contract was up US$4 at US$1,829.00 an ounce and the September copper contract was up 5.6 cents at US$4.32 a pound.

Health care lagged, followed by the energy sector, which was hurt by lower crude oil prices.

The August crude oil contract was down US$1.48 at US$71.65 per barrel and the August natural gas contract was down 4.6 cents at US$3.61 per mmBTU.

Shares of MEG Energy Corp. lost 5.2 per cent while Crescent Point Energy Corp. was down 3.2 per cent.

Crude oil prices slipped after Saudi Arabia reached a compromise with the United Arab Emirates on a deal for OPEC+ to add more output. There was also a fairly big draw in U.S. crude oil stockpiles but big build in gasoline inventories.

The Canadian dollar traded for 79.54 cents US, its weakest position since late April and compared with 80.02 cents US on Wednesday.

"I think most of that move, in my opinion, today is really just on the move to more safe haven parts of the market," he said.

"And and clearly with oil price down there is still a correlation between the Canadian dollar and energy. And so that's really the cause for the sell off today.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 15, 2021.

CTVNews.ca ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

Police have arrested an 18-year-old woman who allegedly stole a Porsche and then ran over its owner in an incident that was captured on video.

Since she was a young girl growing up in Vancouver, Ginny Lam says her mom Yat Hei Law made it very clear she favoured her son William, because he was her male heir.

Advocates have identified the woman who died this week after being shot by police in Surrey, B.C., as a South American refugee who was raising a young daughter.

Three men were injured after trying to subdue a man armed with a knife during afternoon prayers at a Montreal-area mosque Friday afternoon.

A 15-year-old boy who was the subject of an emergency alert in New Brunswick has been arrested.

The search for a missing six-year-old boy in Shamattawa is continuing Friday as RCMP hope recent tips can help lead to a happy conclusion.

Provincial police investigating the death of a cat that was allegedly set on fire in Orillia earlier this week released surveillance video of a person of interest in the case.

Local Spotlight

Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.

An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.

They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.

Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.

A Good Samaritan in New Brunswick has replaced a man's stolen bottle cart so he can continue to collect cans and bottles in his Moncton neighbourhood.

Stay Connected