Canada's equity market finished the session slightly in negative territory on Friday as selling in the information technology, materials and consumer discretionary sectors offset advances elsewhere.
At the close in Toronto, the S&P/TSX Composite was down 0.09%.
Top performers
The session's largest percentage gainer on the S&P/TSX Composite was Stantec Inc (TSX:STN), which rose 13.79% - up 14.81 points to finish at 122.20. G Mining Ventures Corp (TSX:GMIN) climbed 9.89% - gaining 4.16 points to close at 46.21. Kelt Exploration Ltd. (TSX:KEL) also posted a strong advance, up 8.81% or 0.93 points to 11.49 in late trade.
Largest decliners
Among the weakest names, Americas Gold and Silver Corporation (TSX:USA) fell 10.80% - down 0.43 points to end the day at 3.55. Lithium Americas Corp (TSX:LAC) declined 7.83% or 0.18 points to finish at 2.12. Celestica Inc. (TSX:CLS) lost 5.42%, a drop of 19.60 points to 342.32.
Market breadth and notable lows
On the Toronto Stock Exchange, declining issues outnumbered advancers by 494 to 485, while 78 stocks finished unchanged. Shares of Americas Gold and Silver Corporation (TSX:USA) reached 52-week lows during the session, with the stock falling 10.80% to 3.55. Lithium Americas Corp (TSX:LAC) fell to all-time lows, sliding 7.83% to 2.12.
Volatility and indicators
The S&P/TSX 60 VIX, which tracks implied volatility for options on the S&P/TSX Composite, rose 5.33% to 16.61, indicating an increase in expected short-term market volatility.
Commodities and FX
Precious metals and oil moved in opposite directions. Gold Futures for December delivery fell 0.16% - a loss of 6.05 - to settle at $3,879.25 a troy ounce. Energy markets saw gains: crude oil for December delivery increased 0.37% or 0.33 to $89.07 a barrel, while the January Brent contract was up 0.51% or 0.49 to trade at $96.31 a barrel.
Foreign exchange metrics were relatively steady. CAD/USD was effectively unchanged, moving 0.08% to 0.70, while CAD/EUR was up 0.19% to 0.64. The US Dollar Index Futures was higher by 0.21%, trading at 103.31.
Summary observation
Friday's session produced a marginal decline for the S&P/TSX Composite amid sector-specific weakness, a handful of outsized moves in individual stocks, and a modest uptick in implied volatility. Commodities registered mixed results, with oil stronger and gold weaker, while major exchange rates were little changed at the close.