Canada’s main stock index closed higher in a broad-based advance as tensions with Saudi Arabia appeared to ease, while U.S. markets were mixed.
The Toronto Stock Exchange’s S&P/TSX composite index closed up by 101.90 points at 16,416.98 as information technology, financials and materials gained.
The gains came after Saudi Arabia’s energy minister assured Canada that the kingdom’s diplomatic dispute with Ottawa won’t affect oil sales, while Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Wednesday acknowledged some human rights progress in the country while remaining firm in Canada’s criticism.
“It looks like tensions are easing somewhat, based on what Trudeau said and then the fact that Saudi Arabia said it would continue to supply Canada with oil,” said Anish Chopra, managing director with Portfolio Management Corp. in Toronto. “I would say it’s neutral to modestly positive, because the markets have certainly bounced a bit.”
Tensions between the countries flared after Global Affairs Canada last week criticized the arrest of an activist blogger in the country. The kingdom responded by suspending future trade deals with Canada and reportedly ordered the selloff of Canadian assets among other measures.
The S&P/TSX capped information technology index had the highest gains at 1.6%. The health-care index was up by 1.5% and the materials index climbed just under a per cent.
The consumer discretionary index had the sharpest losses at 0.2% as Canadian Tire Corp. dropped almost 8% on missed earnings, while auto parts manufacturers Magna International and Linamar Corp. slipped a third of a per cent on Thursday following larger losses the day prior on fears of future tariff impacts.
“The trade issue with the United States and NAFTA renegotiation plays a large part in that,” said Chopra.
The TSX composite index hit an intraday high of 16.430.85, while volume on the index clocked in at 178.86 million shares.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average closed down by 74.52 points at 25,509.23. The S&P 500 composite index ended down by 4.12 points 2,853.58 and the Nasdaq composite index ended up by
3.46 points at 7,891.78.
The Canadian dollar averaged US76.69¢, up 0.07 of a U.S. cent.