Toronto equity markets finished the trading day on a positive note as sector gains in Materials, Consumer Discretionary and Healthcare helped push the S&P/TSX Composite up 1.87% at the close on Friday.
At the individual stock level, Magna International Inc (TSX:MG) was the session standout, rising 18.94% or 14.89 points to finish at 93.52. Trisura Group Ltd (TSX:TSU) also posted a strong performance, adding 11.56% or 5.14 points to close at 49.62. G Mining Ventures Corp (TSX:GMIN) advanced 11.01% or 4.89 points to end the session at 49.32.
On the downside, Advantage Oil & Gas Ltd. (TSX:AAV) led decliners, falling 5.52% or 0.63 points to close at 10.78. Colliers International Group Inc Bats (TSX:CIGI) slipped 3.42% or 5.49 points to 155.13, while CAE Inc. (TSX:CAE) declined 3.40% or 1.45 points to 41.20.
Market breadth was tilted toward gains on the Toronto Stock Exchange, with 688 advancers compared with 271 decliners and 66 stocks finishing unchanged.
Notable milestone moves were recorded: Magna International reached three-year highs with its large gain, and Trisura Group rose to all-time highs during the session.
Volatility and commodities
The S&P/TSX 60 VIX, a measure of option-implied volatility for the S&P/TSX Composite, fell 9.41% to 16.76 by the close.
In commodities trading, Gold Futures for April delivery jumped 2.13% or 105.59 to $5,053.99 a troy ounce. Crude oil for delivery in March was unchanged at $62.84 a barrel, showing 0.00% movement. The April Brent oil contract inched higher, rising 0.21% or 0.14 to trade at $67.66 a barrel.
Foreign exchange and indexes
Currency pairs showed limited movement. The Canadian dollar was essentially flat versus major currencies, with CAD/USD unchanged at 0.73 (a 0.07% move) and CAD/EUR unchanged at 0.62 (a 0.08% move). The US Dollar Index Futures was down 0.09% at 96.75.
The session closed with a clear positive tilt across the TSX benchmark, supported by strong performances from select large-cap and sector-specific names, while volatility measures and commodity prices diverged in their moves.