Canada's equity market finished slightly in the red on Wednesday as the S&P/TSX Composite index closed down 0.01%, pressured primarily by losses in the Information Technology, Real Estate and REITs sectors.
At the Toronto close, headline breadth showed more advancing issues than decliners, with 525 stocks rising against 449 that fell and 78 that finished unchanged. The session featured sharp moves in a handful of stocks that stood out from the broader market.
Top gainers
- NovaGold Resources Inc (TSX:NG) led winners, jumping 13.15% or 1.86 points to finish at 16.00. The stock reached a five-year high on the strength.
- Discovery Silver Corp (TSX:DSV) added 9.52% or 0.96 points to close at 11.04.
- Toromont Industries Ltd. (TSX:TIH) climbed 6.62% or 12.14 points to end at 195.39, marking an all-time high for the company.
Largest decliners
- Allied Properties REIT (TSX:AP_u) fell 27.83% or 3.91 points to trade at 10.14, a move that pushed the REIT to a five-year low.
- Colliers International Group Inc Bats (TSX:CIGI) slid 11.08% or 21.99 points to end at 176.44.
- TerraVest Industries Inc (TSX:TVK) dropped 9.21% or 14.44 points to 142.32.
Volatility on index options nudged higher: the S&P/TSX 60 VIX, a measure of implied volatility for S&P/TSX Composite options, increased 2.59% to 15.08.
Commodities showed strength into the close. Gold Futures for April delivery were up 1.51% or 75.94 to $5,106.94 a troy ounce. In energy markets, crude oil for March delivery rose 1.61% or 1.03 to $64.99 a barrel, while the April Brent contract advanced 1.37% or 0.94 to $69.74 a barrel.
Foreign exchange moves were modest. The Canadian dollar versus the U.S. dollar was unchanged 0.21% to 0.74, while CAD/EUR was unchanged 0.00% to 0.62. The US Dollar Index Futures was up 0.15% at 96.82.
The session left the S&P/TSX Composite effectively flat for the day, with sector-level weakness concentrated in IT, Real Estate and REITs while materials and select industrial names outperformed. Market participants will likely watch volatility and commodity prices for directional cues in coming sessions.