Equity markets in Canada’s largest centre inched down on Thursday, as uncertainty around the progress made toward a Middle East peace deal weighed ?on investor sentiment, even as energy shares gained on higher oil prices.
The TSX Composite Index slid 13.21 points to reach noon hour EDT Thursday at 34,187.92.
The Canadian dollar edged ahead 0.11 cents at 72.93 cents U.S.
A key Pakistani mediator in Tehran and the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump indicated that progress has been made towards a peace deal that would open the vital Strait of Hormuz.
Meanwhile, investors are tracking corporate earnings in the U.S. ?and Canada to gauge how companies ?are tackling headwinds from the Iran war.
Shares of real estate investment trust First Capital jumped ?$1.73, or 7.9%, to a record high of $23.57, after Choice Properties and KingSett Capital agreed to buy the REIT in a $6.85-billion deal, helping the real estate sub index raised.
Among individual movers, ?Cineplex rose 73 cents, or 6.5%, to $12.02, after Bloomberg News reported the movie theater chain is shopping itself to potential buyers in a bid to combine with a rival.
On the economic beat, Statistics Canada reported there were 124,004 new motor vehicles sold in Canada in February, decreasing 0.9% from February 2025.
The Canadian Real Estate Association reported national home sales were almost unchanged (-0.1%) month-over-month in March.
ON BAYSTREET
The TSX Venture Exchange dipped 0.57 points Thursday to 1,042.74.
Seven of the 12 TSX subgroups were stronger midday, led by real-estate stocks, up 1.7%, telecoms, better by 1.1%, and information technology, improving 1%.
The five laggards were weighed most by consumer staples, down 1%, utilities, sliding 0.5%.and financials, poorer at 0.4%.
ON WALLSTREET
The S&P 500 and NASDAQ rose to new heights on Thursday, adding to their strong gains this week on optimism for a possible resolution to the Iran war.
The Dow Jones Industrials recovered 80.07 points to break for lunch Thursday at 48,543.79.
The much-broader index regrouped 19.36 points to 7,042.31
The NASDAQ recovered 91.24 points to 24,107.26.
This week, the S&P 500 and NASDAQ gained 3%, and the NASDAQ has risen more than 5%, while the Dow has advanced more than 1%.
Stocks received a bump Thursday after President Donald Trump confirmed he spoke with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He added that Israel and Lebanon had agreed to a to a 10-day ceasefire, which will begin at 5 p.m. ET.
U.S.-listed shares of Taiwan Semiconductor shed $7.19, or 1.9%, to $367.92, despite reporting a record first-quarter profit, which increased by 58%, and beating analyst estimates. Revenue came in at 1.134 trillion new Taiwan dollars ($35 billion U.S.), compared to the NT$1.127 trillion expected, per LSEG.
For Washington and Tehran, a second round of negotiations is under discussion, but nothing has been officially scheduled yet. That’s according to a White House official who asked not to be named to discuss the administration’s internal plans.
Prices for the 10-year Treasury demurred, raising yields to 4.30% from Wednesday’s 4.28%. Treasury prices and yields move in opposite directions.
Oil prices moved ahead $2.25 to $93.54 U.S. a barrel.
Gold prices gained $3.20 to $4,826.80 U.S. an ounce.
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