Canada's main stock index was muted on Friday, as investors weighed stalled efforts to end the U.S.-Iran war, alongside corporate earnings.
The TSX gained 18.68 points to open Friday at 36,777.97, still another all-time peak. On the week so far, the index has gained 396 points, or 1%.
The Canadian dollar pushed upward 0.03 cents at 72.05 cents U.S.
On the earnings front, Bird Construction beat second-quarter profit estimates, after which at least three brokerages raised price targets on the stock.
Bird shares jumped $4.07, or 5.7%, to $75.95.
In company news, Air Canada's revenue for September and October is likely to break records for the two months as more premium travelers avoid the heat and summer crowds in Europe and Japan.
Shares in the “Maple Leaf airline” dipped 19 cents to $30.22.
The United States threatened an indefinite naval blockade of Iran, reviving concerns about disruptions to crude supplies from the Middle East.
It’s a busy day on the economic slate.
June wholesale sales rose 2.8% in June, while manufacturing figures edged up 0.1% the same month, driven largely by increased sales of chemical products and transportation equipment. On a quarterly basis, total sales rose 9.3% in the second quarter of 2026.
Separately, a federal government source directly familiar with trade negotiations with the U.S. said on Thursday talks were progressing well and that Washington also wanted an agreement before a new U.S. tariff deadline on August 19.
ON BAYSTREET
The TSX Venture Exchange poked ahead 3.84 points, or 1%, to 970.28. On the week, the index is ahead 15 points, or 1.6%.
Still, seven of the 12 TSX subgroups were negative, weighed most by information technology, off 1.5%, while consumer discretionary and health-care stocks suffered 0.4% each.
The five gainers were led by gold, up 1.3%, materials, picking up 1%, and energy, up 0.9%.
ON WALLSTREET
The S&P 500 was relatively unchanged on Friday after a record-setting session, with the benchmark on pace for its third consecutive weekly advance.
The Dow Jones Industrials moved backward 20.83 points to open the week’s final session at 53,819.16.
The much-broader index advanced 10.33 points to 7,809.32.
The NASDAQ Composite acquired 26.87 points to 26,829.89.
The S&P 500 and NASDAQ are headed for their third straight weekly advances. The former has advanced 0.6% in the period, while the tech-heavy NASDAQ has risen 0.5%. The Dow, meanwhile, is down 0.4% week to date.
Applied Materials was a sore spot in the session, as shares dropped more than 4% in the session.
Prices for the 10-year Treasury popped, boosting yields to 4.66% from Thursday’s 4.64%. Treasury prices and yields move in opposite directions.
Oil prices dropped inched back nine cents to $81.16 U.S. a barrel.
Gold prices climbed $20.50 to $4,440.90 U.S. an ounce.
