TSX ends up 0.1% at 25,879.95
For the week, the index loses 0.4%
Materials group gains 1.3% as gold climbs
(Updates at market close)
May 23 (Reuters) – Canada’s main stock index edged higher on Friday as gold mining shares rallied, but the move was limited as trade tensions resurfaced and investors worried about the recent upward move in long-term borrowing costs.
The Toronto Stock Exchange’s S&P/TSX composite index ended up 25.94 points, or 0.1%, at 25,879.95, holding below the record closing high it posted on Tuesday.
For the week, the index was down 0.4%, its first decline after six straight weekly gains.
“We’ve had such a powerful bounce off those lows in April, the market was probably due for some consolidation,” said Greg Taylor, chief investment officer at PenderFund Capital Management.
“The big thing to watch is still bond yields … That’s going to hold the market back from really hitting new highs substantially.”
U.S. Treasury yields have climbed in recent weeks on concern about a worsening fiscal outlook for the United States.
On Friday, they edged lower after President Donald Trump threatened to impose hefty tariffs on smartphone giant Apple and goods from the European Union, raising concerns about slowing economic growth.
Domestic data was upbeat. Retail sales rose 0.8% month-over-month in March, beating estimates, and looked set to increase further in April.
The materials group, which includes metal mining shares, advanced 1.3% as the price of gold moved back in reach of its recent record high.
The price of oil also rose, settling 0.5% higher at $61.53 a barrel, while the energy sector added 0.4%.
Shares of uranium producer Energy Fuels Inc surged 18.1% after Trump signed executive orders seeking to jumpstart the nuclear power industry.
Technology was a drag, falling 1.4%, and industrials lost 0.7%. (Reporting by Fergal Smith in Toronto and Sanchayaita Roy in Bengaluru; Editing by Sahal Muhammed and Nia Williams)
