* TSX ends down 0.8% at 35,226.14
* For the month, the index adds 1.1%
* Materials group falls 3% on lower gold prices
* Telus shares tumble 11.3% as company posts Q2 loss
By Sudeshna Ghoshal and Fergal Smith
TORONTO, – Canada’s main stock index fell on Friday as a drop in gold prices weighed on metal mining shares, but the index still posted its fourth straight monthly gain.
The Toronto Stock Exchange’s S&P/TSX Composite index ended down 279.70 points, or 0.8%, at 35,226.14. For July, the index was up 1.1%, led by energy shares.
* The materials group, which includes metal mining shares, fell 3%. The price of gold was down 1.3% as the U.S. dollar rebounded from a more than one-month low hit in the previous session.
* Technology was also a drag, falling 2.6%. Shares of Telus tumbled 11.3% after the company reported a second-quarter loss and reset its quarterly dividend, cutting the annualized payout by 55% to focus on debt reduction.
* Four of the 10 major sectors ended higher, including energy. It added 0.6%, lifting its monthly gain to more than 16%.
* “Energy had a nice run,” said Michael Constantino, CEO of Webull Canada. “It is an opportunity as well for clients to take some money off the table and shift.”
* U.S. crude oil futures settled 1.3% higher at $84.67 a barrel as reports that some tankers were forced to turn around in the Strait of Hormuz prompted traders to reassess shipping flows through the key waterway.
* Imperial Oil, Enbridge and TC Energy all beat second-quarter profit estimates.
* Retailer Alimentation Couche-Tard said it plans to buy Poland’s Zabka for about $8.7 billion. Shares of Couche-Tard were up 1.4%.
* Preliminary data pointed to Canada’s economy growing by 3.4% in the second quarter on an annualized basis, which would be stronger than the Bank of Canada has forecast.
* Industrials rose 0.5% and heavily weighted financials ended 0.2% higher.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
