Canada's stock market finished lower on Monday as weakness in several heavyweight sectors pushed the S&P/TSX Composite into negative territory. At the close in Toronto, the index was down 0.78%.
Market breadth and volatility
Decliners outnumbered advancers on the Toronto Stock Exchange, with 519 names losing ground against 478 that rose, while 57 were unchanged. The S&P/TSX 60 VIX - the index that reflects implied volatility for S&P/TSX Composite options - rose 2.79% to 13.61, signaling a modest increase in short-term option-based volatility.
Top performers
- NFI Group Inc (TSX:NFI) led gains, adding 3.10% or 0.70 points to close at 23.25.
- Vermilion Energy Inc. (TSX:VET) advanced 2.36% or 0.41 points to finish at 17.77.
- Parex Resources Inc (TSX:PXT) rose 2.30% or 0.64 points to end the session at 28.52.
Largest declines
- Bombardier Inc (TSX:BBDb) was the biggest decliner, falling 5.97% or 19.03 points to close at 299.84.
- Ero Copper Corp (TSX:ERO) slipped 4.48% or 2.42 points to 51.57.
- Lundin Mining Corporation (TSX:LUN) dropped 4.45% or 1.73 points to 37.11.
Commodities and currency moves
Precious and energy markets moved in different directions during the session. Gold futures for December delivery declined 0.73% or 33.26 to trade at 4,496.64 a troy ounce. In contrast, crude oil gained ground - the October West Texas Intermediate contract rose 3.51% or 2.93 to $86.33 a barrel, while the December Brent contract climbed 5.33% or 4.59 to trade at $90.71 a barrel.
On the foreign-exchange front, the Canadian dollar was effectively unchanged versus major peers in the snapshots provided: CAD/USD was listed at 0.72 with an unchanged move of 0.32%, and CAD/EUR was listed at 0.62 with an unchanged move of 0.04%.
Other market signals
US Dollar Index futures were reported down 0.27% at 99.39. The session data and price moves underscore a day in which energy prices strengthened while a majority of Canadian-listed equities finished lower.