Canada's stock market finished marginally lower on Thursday, with losses concentrated in Consumer Discretionary, Real Estate and REITs weighing on the broader index. At the close in Toronto the S&P/TSX Composite fell 0.03%.
Market breadth was narrowly negative as decliners slightly outnumbered advancers: 485 securities fell while 473 advanced and 89 finished unchanged on the Toronto Stock Exchange.
Top gainers in the session were Curaleaf Holdings Inc (TSX:CURA), which climbed 10.42% - a rise of 1.22 points - to finish at 12.93; Paramount Resources Ltd. (TSX:POU), up 9.55% or 2.68 points to 30.74; and WSP Global Inc (TSX:WSP), which rose 6.32% or 11.44 points to 192.56 in late trading.
Largest decliners included ATS Corporation (TSX:ATS), plunging 27.00% or 10.61 points to close at 28.69; Premium Brands Holdings Corporation (TSX:PBH), down 14.29% or 13.55 points to end the day at 81.29; and Celestica Inc. (TSX:CLS), which fell 12.96% or 65.89 points to 442.65.
Shares of ATS Corporation (TSX:ATS) moved to five-year lows during the session, reflecting the outsized drop that drove much of the stock-specific volatility.
Volatility gauged by the S&P/TSX 60 VIX eased slightly, falling 0.61% to 14.61.
Commodities and currencies
Commodity markets were mixed: Gold Futures for December delivery slipped 0.12% or 5.05 to $4,300.15 a troy ounce. In energy markets, crude oil for September delivery rose 3.72% or 2.80 to $78.02 a barrel, while the October Brent contract gained 4.82% or 3.83 to trade at $83.28 a barrel.
On the currency front, CAD/USD was essentially flat, unchanged 0.03% at 0.71, while CAD/EUR was unchanged 0.26% at 0.62. The US Dollar Index Futures moved up 0.31% to 99.85.
What this means
The session was notable for concentrated moves in individual names that produced little net change in the headline index. While a small number of stocks posted double-digit gains, a handful of large declines, including a steep drop into five-year lows for one company, kept the S&P/TSX Composite near unchanged at the close.