Equities in Canada’s largest centre tumbled Thursday, after spending much of the day in positive territory.
The TSX Composite dished off 60.67 points to finish off a volatile Thursday at 22,051.79.
The Canadian dollar lost 0.15 cents at 73.80 cents U.S.
Health-care proved the biggest anchor on the index, with Tilray down 26 cents, or 6.8%, to $3.58, while Sienna Senior Living gave back four cents to $13.03.
Consumer staples also felt around for the bruises, with George Weston down $6.65, or 3.7%, to $175.22, while Metro sank $1.37, or 2%, to $69.75.
Techs were roughed up, primarily, Lightspeed Commerce, lower by $1.13, or 5.6%, to $18.76, while Converge Technology fell 22 cents, or 3.8%, to $5.55.
Consumer discretionary stocks tried to restore some balance Thursday, as Dollarama jumped $8.77, or 8.7%, to $109.13, while PetValu tacked on 41 cents, or 1.3%, to $32.03.
Energy stocks also perked, with Africa Oil took on a nickel, or 2%, to $2.52, while Mattr. Corp. gained 24 cents, or 1.4%, to $17.53.
In communications, Quebecor surged 28 cents, or 1%, to $28.96, while Cogeco Communications acquired 52 cents to $57.62.
On the economic front, In February, exports increased 5.8%, while imports rose 4.6%. As a result, Canada's merchandise trade surplus with the world widened from $608 million in January to $1.4 billion in February.
Elsewhere, vehicle sales across Canada increased 9.2% in March from a year earlier, according to the latest data from DesRosiers Automotive Consultants. In all, 159,000 motor vehicles were sold throughout the country in March.
ON BAYSTREET
The TSX Venture Exchange stepped back six points, or 1%, to close Thursday at 578.88.
All but three of the 12 TSX subgroups were lower on the day, as health-care descended 1.6%, consumer staples were woozy 1.5%, and information technology fell 1.2%.
The three gainers were consumer discretionary stocks, better by 1.1%, while energy and communications stocks each gathered 0.2%.
ON WALLSTREET
Stocks turned lower on Thursday with investors on edge this week ahead of the March jobs report due out on Friday. A spike in oil prices and fears the Federal Reserve could hold off further cutting interest rates added to the day’s poor sentiment.
The Dow Jones Industrials collapsed 530.16 points, or 1.4%, to 39,596.98.
The S&P 500 slipped 64.28 points, or 1.2%, to 5,147.21.
The NASDAQ sank 228.38 points, or 1.4%, to 16,049.08. Key stocks like Nvidia and Alphabet also gave up their gains on the day.
So far this week, the S&P 500 is down 1.9%, with three out of four days in the red. The 30-stock Dow has lost roughly 2.9% week-to-date, while the NASDAQ has dipped 1.7% during the week.
According to data released Thursday, initial jobless claims increased more than expected last week, hitting their highest level since late January. Additional data posted by the Commerce Department reflected an increased in the trade deficit to $68.9 billion in February, slightly higher than the Dow Jones estimate.
Investors are now awaiting Friday for the release of March’s non-farm payrolls.
Prices for the 10-year Treasury marched ahead, lowering yields to 4.31% from Wednesday’s 4.35%. Treasury prices and yields move in opposite directions.
Oil prices reasserted themselves $1.22 to $86.65 U.S. a barrel.
Gold prices hesitated $10.10 to $2,304.90 U.S. an ounce.
