Toronto equity markets finished the trading day in positive territory on Tuesday, with the S&P/TSX Composite gaining 0.18% at the close.
Sector strength in Clean Technology, Energy and Materials underpinned the advance, with several individual stocks posting notable moves.
Top and bottom movers
The session's leading gainer was Methanex Corporation (TSX:MX), which climbed 9.24% - up 6.84 points to finish at 80.84. Boralex Inc (TSX:BLX) rose 7.49% - up 2.30 points to end at 33.00, while 5N Plus Inc. (TSX:VNP) advanced 7.11% - up 2.21 points to close at 33.28.
On the downside, MDA Ltd (TSX:MDA) fell 9.96% - down 4.46 points to 40.30 at the close. Dollarama Inc (TSX:DOL) dropped 9.60% - down 17.92 points to finish at 168.66, and Kinaxis Inc (TSX:KXS) declined 4.39% - down 6.15 points to 133.99.
Market breadth and record levels
Advancers outnumbered decliners on the Toronto Stock Exchange by 545 to 404, with 86 issues unchanged. Shares of Methanex reached five-year highs with the gain to 80.84. Boralex shares hit 52-week highs at 33.00, and 5N Plus reached all-time highs closing at 33.28.
Volatility and fixed-income indicators
The S&P/TSX 60 VIX, which tracks implied volatility for S&P/TSX Composite options, increased 1.21% to 20.01.
Commodities and currencies
Gold futures for June delivery were up 1.34% - rising 59.62 to $4,499.12 a troy ounce. In energy markets, crude oil for May delivery increased 0.91% - up 0.80 to $88.93 a barrel, while the June Brent contract gained 0.78% - up 0.75 to $96.67 a barrel.
On the currency front, CAD/USD was unchanged 0.20% to 0.73, and CAD/EUR was unchanged 0.14% to 0.63. The US Dollar Index Futures moved higher by 0.28% to 99.00.
Takeaway
The Toronto market's modest close reflected concentrated strength in a few sectors and names, while volatility and commodity prices rose modestly. Market breadth showed more advancing than declining issues, and several companies reached multi-year or all-time highs by the session's end.