Canadian equities finished lower on Wednesday as sector-level weakness in Information Technology, Materials and Clean Technology pushed the S&P/TSX Composite into negative territory.
At the close in Toronto the S&P/TSX Composite fell 1.05%.
Among individual stocks, Advantage Oil & Gas Ltd. (TSX:AAV) was the top gainer on the index, rising 4.90% - a gain of 0.49 points - to finish at 10.48. Gfl Environmental Inc (TSX:GFL) added 3.25%, or 1.52 points, ending the session at 48.24. DPM Metals Inc (TSX:DPM) also posted solid intraday strength, up 3.18% or 1.46 points to close at 47.43.
At the other end of the board, Lithium Americas Corp (TSX:LAC) registered the largest decline among notable names, sliding 8.69% - a drop of 0.69 points - to 7.25 at the close. Aya Gold & Silver Inc (TSX:AYA) fell 8.20%, down 2.44 points to finish at 27.33. AbraSilver Resource Corp (TSX:ABRA) declined 8.10%, losing 1.50 points to close at 17.01.
Decliners outpaced advancers on the Toronto Stock Exchange, with 639 stocks falling compared with 337 that advanced; 82 issues ended unchanged.
Measures of expected market volatility rose as the S&P/TSX 60 VIX increased 3.30% to 14.09.
Commodity markets moved unevenly during the session. Gold Futures for August delivery fell 1.17%, down $52.70, to trade at $4,467.20 a troy ounce. Crude oil for July delivery strengthened 2.58%, up $2.42, to reach $96.18 a barrel, while the August Brent contract rose 1.96%, or $1.88, to $97.88 a barrel.
In currency markets, the Canadian dollar measures quoted in the session were unchanged at the levels reported: CAD/USD was 0.72 and CAD/EUR was 0.62, reflecting the figures published for the close.
On futures tied to the greenback, the US Dollar Index Futures was up 0.32% at 99.50.
Market context and takeaways
- Sector weakness in IT, Materials and Clean Technology pushed the benchmark lower, driving broad market declines.
- Several resource and energy-related names outperformed, while a group of miners and lithium-linked companies led losses.
- Volatility measures rose and commodity prices moved in mixed directions, underscoring uneven risk appetite.