Canada's equity market ended the trading day in negative territory on Wednesday, with the S&P/TSX Composite closing down 0.39% in Toronto. Losses in the Materials, Consumer Discretionary and REITs sectors contributed to the decline.
At the close, TransAlta Corp (TSX:TA) was the session's top performer, advancing 3.66% or 0.62 points to finish at 17.55. Aritzia Inc (TSX:ATZ) also posted strong gains, adding 3.50% or 4.58 points to close at 135.51. Stantec Inc (TSX:STN) rose 3.04% or 3.09 points to 104.69 in late trade.
On the downside, Southern Cross Gold Consolidated Ltd (TSX:SXGC) led decliners, slipping 4.78% or 0.62 points to end the day at 12.36. Ngex Minerals Ltd (TSX:NGEX) fell 4.73% or 1.43 points to 28.81, while NovaGold Resources Inc (TSX:NG) dropped 4.45% or 0.60 points to 12.89.
Market breadth was negative: falling issues outnumbered advancing ones on the Toronto Stock Exchange by 542 to 420, with 74 stocks finishing unchanged.
Volatility on Canadian large caps ticked higher. The S&P/TSX 60 VIX, which measures implied volatility in options on the S&P/TSX Composite, rose 1.78% to 13.13.
Commodities showed weakness on the session. Gold Futures for December delivery were down 1.05% or 49.29 to $4,645.21 a troy ounce. In energy markets, crude oil for October delivery fell 0.68% or 0.56 to $81.80 a barrel, while the November Brent contract declined 0.93% or 0.81 to trade at $86.46 a barrel.
In foreign exchange, CAD/USD was unchanged 0.27% to 0.72, while CAD/EUR was unchanged 0.05% to 0.62.
Elsewhere on financial measures, the US Dollar Index Futures was up 0.23% at 99.07.
This session's data highlights a modest pullback in Canadian equities, accompanied by softer commodity prices and a slight uptick in market volatility. Individual stock performance was mixed, with several names posting notable moves in both directions.