Canadian stocks finished the trading day in positive territory on Monday, with gains concentrated in the Energy, Information Technology and Financials sectors.
At the close in Toronto the S&P/TSX Composite rose 0.19%.
Among individual names, Birchcliff Energy Ltd. (TSX:BIR) posted some of the strongest performance, climbing 6.97% to end the session at 6.91. Badger Infrastructure Solutions Ltd (TSX:BDGI) advanced 5.73% to close at 93.69, a move that took the stock to an all-time high. 5N Plus Inc. (TSX:VNP) also gained ground, finishing the day up 4.58% at 42.72.
Not all stocks moved higher. Seabridge Gold Inc. (TSX:SEA) fell 5.09% to 38.78, making it one of the largest percentage decliners on the S&P/TSX Composite. goeasy Ltd (TSX:GSY) slipped 4.54% to 38.69, and Bausch Health Companies Inc (TSX:BHC) declined 4.41% to 7.16.
Market breadth was narrowly negative with 498 decliners versus 484 advancers on the Toronto Stock Exchange; 71 issues finished unchanged.
The S&P/TSX 60 VIX, which gauges the implied volatility priced into options on the S&P/TSX Composite, rose 3.21% to 15.44, indicating a modest increase in option-implied volatility.
Commodities trading showed mixed moves. Gold futures for August delivery fell 0.34%, losing 14.65 to settle at 4,350.65 per troy ounce. Crude futures were firmer: July West Texas Intermediate crude rose 0.74% to 91.21 a barrel, while the August Brent contract increased 1.14% to 94.15 a barrel.
Currency measures were mostly unchanged. The CAD/USD pair was effectively flat, showing a 0.12% change to 0.72, and CAD/EUR was also little changed at 0.62 with a 0.23% move. The US Dollar Index futures traded marginally lower, down 0.06% at 100.00.
Market context and implications
The session’s gains were led by a blend of energy producers, infrastructure-related names and select technology firms, while resource and healthcare names accounted for a portion of the day’s declines. The rise in the S&P/TSX 60 VIX signals slightly elevated option-implied volatility even as the headline index recorded only a modest advance.