Canadian equities ended the trading day higher on Thursday, with the S&P/TSX Composite climbing 0.31% at the close in Toronto. Gains were concentrated in the Materials, Real Estate and REITs sectors, which provided upward pressure on the broader index.
Among individual shares, Thomson Reuters Corp (TSX:TRI) produced the largest advance. The stock rose 9.31% - a gain of 10.78 points - to finish the session at 126.62. Aecon Group Inc. (TSX:ARE) followed with a solid move, adding 8.77% or 3.99 points to close at 49.51. B2Gold Corp (TSX:BTO) was also a notable gainer, up 8.46% or 0.45 points to 5.77 in late trade.
Not all names finished positively. Hammond Power Solutions Inc (TSX:HPSa) recorded the steepest decline, falling 11.49% or 39.89 points to end at 307.32 at the close. BlackBerry Ltd (TSX:BB) dropped 8.88% or 1.59 points to finish at 16.32, while 5N Plus Inc. (TSX:VNP) fell 7.90% or 3.46 points to close at 40.32.
Market breadth favored advancers. On the Toronto Stock Exchange, 601 issues gained, 377 declined and 67 finished unchanged.
Measures of market volatility and related market indicators showed modest movement. The S&P/TSX 60 VIX, which tracks implied volatility for S&P/TSX Composite options, ticked up 0.67% to 14.96. Meanwhile, the US Dollar Index Futures was down 0.52% at 100.63.
Commodities saw mixed action. Gold futures for August delivery rose 1.34% - an increase of 54.69 - to $4,137.09 a troy ounce. In energy markets, crude oil for August delivery edged down 0.10% or 0.07 to $68.51 a barrel, while the September Brent contract rose 0.06% or 0.04 to $71.61 a barrel.
Currency moves reported around the close showed the Canadian dollar largely steady against major peers. CAD/USD was unchanged 0.23% to 0.70, while CAD/EUR was unchanged 0.29% to 0.62.
Bottom line - the S&P/TSX Composite closed higher on the day, supported by sector-level strength in Materials, Real Estate and REITs and substantial percentage moves in a handful of individual names. Volatility indicators and select commodity prices registered modest changes, and market breadth favored advancing stocks.