Toronto stocks finished the session higher on Thursday, with leadership from the IT, Financials and Telecoms sectors pushing the S&P/TSX Composite up 0.67% at the close.
Top movers
The session's largest winner was Quebecor Inc Class B (TSX:QBRb), which climbed 7.80% or 4.49 points to close at 62.07. The advance took shares of Quebecor to an all-time high at the close.
Other strong performers included TFI International Inc (TSX:TFII), which added 6.69% or 12.29 points to finish at 195.90, and Boyd Group Services Inc (TSX:BYD), which rose 6.37% or 8.57 points to end trading at 143.11.
Underperformers
Not all names participated in the rally. Stantec Inc (TSX:STN) posted the largest decline of the session, falling 6.56% or 7.01 points to close at 99.91; the drop pushed the stock down to a 52-week low at the close. Lithium Americas Corp (TSX:LAC) slipped 5.88% or 0.44 points to end at 7.04, and Manulife Financial Corporation (TSX:MFC) declined 5.71% or 3.12 points to 51.50.
Market breadth and volatility
Rising issues outnumbered decliners on the Toronto Stock Exchange, with 538 stocks higher versus 428 lower, and 75 unchanged. The S&P/TSX 60 VIX, a measure of implied volatility on S&P/TSX Composite options, eased 2.75% to 15.23, marking a new one-month low.
Commodities and currencies
Precious and energy markets diverged during the session. Gold Futures for June delivery fell 1.14% or 53.88 to $4,652.82 a troy ounce. In energy, crude oil for June delivery climbed 0.92% or 0.93 to $101.95 a barrel, while the July Brent contract was up 0.84% or 0.89 to $106.52 a barrel.
On currency crosses, CAD/USD was unchanged 0.12% to 0.73, and CAD/EUR remained unchanged 0.29% to 0.62. The US Dollar Index Futures moved up 0.37% to 98.79.
Overall, the session closed with a positive tone for Canadian equities, led by sectoral strength in information technology, financials and telecommunications, accompanied by lower implied volatility and mixed signals from commodities and FX markets.