Canadian stocks finished the trading session lower on Friday, driven by pullbacks in the Consumer Discretionary, Industrials and Financials sectors that pushed the benchmark down.
At the close in Toronto, the S&P/TSX Composite declined 1.57%.
Leading movers
Among individual names, Aecon Group Inc. (TSX:ARE) was the best performer on the S&P/TSX Composite, rising 7.53% or 2.83 points to end the day at 40.41. Constellation Software Inc. (TSX:CSU) added 5.95% or 166.35 points to close at 2,963.34, and Curaleaf Holdings Inc (TSX:CURA) climbed 5.92% or 0.18 points to finish at 3.22.
On the downside, Methanex Corporation (TSX:MX) registered the steepest decline, sliding 13.42% or 10.47 points to close at 67.53. Algonquin Power & Utilities Corp (TSX:AQN) fell 11.55% or 1.09 points to finish at 8.35, while Bitfarms Ltd (TSX:BITF) lost 9.21% or 0.28 points to end at 2.76.
Declining issues outnumbered advancing issues on the Toronto Stock Exchange by 755 to 233, while 55 stocks closed unchanged.
Notable market details
Shares of Aecon Group Inc. (TSX:ARE) reached a five-year high during the session, with the stock closing up 7.53% at 40.41.
The S&P/TSX 60 VIX, which tracks implied volatility for S&P/TSX Composite options, increased 5.93% to 20.18, marking a new six-month high.
Commodities and currencies
Commodity markets moved higher on the day. Gold futures for April delivery rose 1.93% or 98.15 to trade at 5,176.85 a troy ounce. In energy markets, crude oil for April delivery climbed 12.34% or 10.00 to reach 91.01 a barrel, while the May Brent contract gained 8.62% or 7.36 to trade at 92.77 a barrel.
On currency moves, CAD/USD was up 0.75% to 0.74. CAD/EUR unchanged 0.71% to 0.63. The US Dollar Index Futures was down 0.42% at 98.89.
Market context and takeaway
Friday's session featured marked divergence among large-cap names: several companies posted double-digit percentage declines while others recorded strong gains. Volatility as measured by the S&P/TSX 60 VIX increased to its highest level in six months, while commodity prices, particularly oil and gold, showed notable strength.
Investors finishing the week faced a mix of significant individual equity moves and elevated implied volatility, with energy and commodity-related instruments notably firmer on the session.