Canada's equity benchmark finished the session in positive territory on Wednesday, supported by gains concentrated in the Consumer Discretionary, Information Technology and Materials sectors. At the Toronto close, the S&P/TSX Composite had climbed 1.15%, registering a new one-month high.
Several individual names posted large moves. Leading the gainers was Aritzia Inc (TSX:ATZ), which rose 9.52% - an increase of 10.86 points - to finish at 124.99. Miners also featured among the winners: HudBay Minerals Inc (TSX:HBM) added 8.23% or 2.50 points to end at 32.89, while Lundin Mining Corporation (TSX:LUN) advanced 7.90%, gaining 2.78 points to close at 37.96.
Notable decliners included Parex Resources Inc (TSX:PXT), which fell 9.79% or 2.69 points to trade at 24.79 at the close. Energy-related stocks saw sharp drops as Baytex Energy Corp (TSX:BTE) declined 7.56% or 0.47 points to finish at 5.75, and International Petroleum Corp (TSX:IPCO) was down 7.55% or 2.89 points to 35.38.
Market breadth was positive: rising issues outnumbered decliners on the Toronto Stock Exchange by 742 to 255, while 48 stocks were unchanged at the close.
Volatility, as measured by the S&P/TSX 60 VIX, eased significantly, falling 11.05% to 18.59 - a one-month low.
Commodities showed divergent moves. Gold Futures for June delivery were higher, up 1.32% or 62.02 to $4,746.72 a troy ounce. By contrast, crude oil for May delivery registered a steep drop of 14.63% or 16.53 to $96.42 a barrel, and the June Brent contract fell 11.88% or 12.98 to trade at $96.29 a barrel.
Currency markets were relatively flat for the Canadian dollar in the session: CAD/USD was unchanged 0.32% to 0.72, while CAD/EUR was unchanged 0.25% to 0.62. The US Dollar Index Futures moved lower, down 0.87% at 98.82.
Summary
The S&P/TSX Composite rose 1.15% to a one-month high as gains in Consumer Discretionary, Information Technology and Materials stocks led the market. Aritzia, HudBay and Lundin Mining were among the strongest performers, while Parex Resources, Baytex Energy and International Petroleum recorded the steepest declines. Oil prices fell sharply, gold climbed, and implied volatility on TSX options moved to a one-month low.