Equities in Canada’s largest market got to within sight of breakeven Friday, but fell short, weighed mostly by health-care issues.
The S&P/TSX Composite Index stayed in the red 11.06 points to close the day and the week at 15,614.48
The Canadian dollar slumped 0.22 cents at 74 cents U.S.
Among energy concerns, Suncor Energy gained 71 cents to $40.94 and Encana Corp regained 16 cents, or 1.1%, to $14.64.
Industrials poked up as SNC-Lavalin Group Inc gained $1.22, or 2.3% to $54.27 after the engineering and construction firm said Thursday it would move ahead with a planned purchase of Britain's WS Atkins Plc for $3.6 billion. Elsewhere, Waste Connections gained 59 cents to $121.51.
In the gold sector, Kinross Gold vaulted 14 cents, or 2.8%, to $5.22, while Goldcorp moved up 14 cents to $20.42.
Health-care stocks got bruised again, as CRH Medical was trounced $2.24, or 18.5%, to $9.90, while Valeant Pharmaceuticals lost 53 cents, or 4.4%, to $11.45.
Among financials, Royal Bank of Canada shed $1.23, or 1.3%, to $94.55, while TD Bank sank 41 cents to $65.63.
On the economic calendar, Statistics Canada reported Friday that March’s consumer price index rose 1.6% on a year-over-year basis, following a 2.0% increase in February.
The agency adds, on a seasonally-adjusted monthly basis, inflation was down 0.2% in March, after decreasing 0.3% in February.
ON BAYSTREET
The TSX Venture Exchange recovered 0.64 points to 824.92.
Eight of the 12 TSX subgroups were lower, as health-care ailed 1.1%, financials dropped 0.5%, and consumer discretionary stocks fell 0.3%.
The four gainers were led by energy, 0.6% more energetic, while industrials and gold stocks each acquired 0.2%.
ON WALLSTREET
Stateside stocks closed lower in choppy trade Friday as investors looked ahead to the French election. Wall Street also digested falling oil prices and comments from the Trump administration on tax reform.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell into the red 30.95 points to 20,547.76, with IBM contributing the most losses.
The S&P 500 subtracted 7.14 points to 2,348.70, with telecommunications falling more than 1% to lead decliners. Energy was also among the decliners
The NASDAQ Composite docked 6.26 points to 5,910.52
The three major indexes were on track to post slight weekly gains as of late in the session, with the S&P up around 1% for the week.
All the same, experts say, the major indexes are lower for the month, with the S&P and Dow breaking below their respective 50-day moving averages.
Friday, index briefly turned positive in afternoon trade after President Donald Trump told The Associated Press his administration will unveil a "massive tax cut" in a new reform, though the timing of that package was unclear.
In corporate news, Dow component Visa reported better-than-expected quarterly results and announced a $5-billion U.S. buyback of class A stock. General Electric, another Dow component, also beat Wall Street estimates for earnings and revenue.
Honeywell International and Rockwell Collins Inc. were among a host of others set to announce earnings by the end of Friday.
Earnings season is off to a strong start. As of Friday morning, 77% of the 95 S&P 500 companies that had reported topped earnings-per-share estimates while 67% beat on sales.
In economic news, existing home sales rose to levels not seen since 2007 last month.
Uncertainty around the French election has grown over the past month after far-left candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon's surprising surge in the polls. Concerns over a victory from far-right candidate Marine Le Pen rose after a shooting in Paris.
Prices for the benchmark 10-year Treasury note gave up early gains, raising yields back to Thursday’s 2.24%. Treasury prices and yields move in opposite directions.
Oil prices slipped $1.16 at $49.55 U.S. a barrel
Gold prices gained $2.40 at $1,286.20 U.S. an ounce.
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