Equities in Canada’s largest market opened ?higher on Thursday led by gains in mining and energy stocks, with investors keeping an eye on developments in the Middle East ?for clues on when a peace deal ?could be reached.
The TSX Composite Index began Thursday up 31.93 points at 34,187.92.
The Canadian dollar edged ahead 0.12 cents at 72.94 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.
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 0.78 points Thursday to 1,042.53.
Al but two of the 12 TSX subgroups were stronger in the first hour, led by real-estate stocks, up 1.9%, telecoms, better by 1.1%, and energy, improving 1%.
The two laggards proved to be consumer staples and financials, each down 0.4%.
ON WALLSTREET
The S&P 500 and NASDAQ slid on Thursday after the two indexes hit fresh record highs earlier in the session.
The Dow Jones Industrials retreated 98.03 points to begin Thursday at 48,365.69.
The much-broader index dropped 5.21 points to 7,017.74
The NASDAQ faded 43.82 points to 23.972.20.
The indexes are still on pace for strong gains this week, however, as the S&P 500 has gained about 3% and NASDAQ has risen more than 4%, while the Dow has advanced 1%.
U.S.-listed shares of Taiwan Semiconductor shed 2.4%, 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.
Trump also announced Wednesday that talks between Israel and Lebanon will take place Thursday. Israel halting its attacks on Lebanon has been a key condition for Iran war negotiations beginning, the speaker of Iran’s parliament has said.
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 4.29% from Wednesday’s 4.28%. Treasury prices and yields move in opposite directions.
Oil prices moved ahead $2.29 to $93.58 U.S. a barrel.
Gold prices faded $5.70 to $4,817.90 U.S. an ounce.
