Canadian equities finished the trading day with modest gains, as strength in Energy, Materials and REITs propelled the broader market. At the close in Toronto the S&P/TSX Composite advanced 0.17%.
Bulks of the upward push came from individual gains among natural resources and real-estate-related names. The session's top performers on the S&P/TSX Composite included Wesdome Gold Mines Ltd. (TSX:WDO), which climbed 6.75% or 1.81 points to finish at 28.62. International Petroleum Corp (TSX:IPCO) added 4.25% or 1.56 points to end at 38.27, while Aris Mining Corp TO (TSX:ARIS) rose 4.06% or 1.09 points to close at 27.96.
On the downside, Curaleaf Holdings Inc (TSX:CURA) led losses after falling 7.67% or 0.26 points to 3.13 at the close. goeasy Ltd (TSX:GSY) retreated 6.61% or 2.32 points to finish at 32.79 and Brookfield Business Corp (TSX:BBUC) slipped 4.08% or 1.95 points to 45.82.
Decliners outpaced advancers on the Toronto Stock Exchange, with 550 stocks down and 396 advancing; 77 issues finished unchanged.
Two stocks reached record highs during the session: shares of Wesdome Gold Mines Ltd. rose to all-time highs after the 6.75% gain to 28.62, and International Petroleum Corp also climbed to all-time highs, gaining 4.25% to 38.27. In contrast, goeasy Ltd fell to five-year lows following its 6.61% decline to 32.79.
Market volatility as measured by the S&P/TSX 60 VIX increased 2.25% to 20.90.
Commodities moved unevenly. Gold futures for June delivery gained 1.14% or 53.56 to $4,738.26 a troy ounce. Crude oil prices were weaker, with May delivery down 1.28% or 1.44 to $110.97 a barrel, and the June Brent contract sliding 3.78% or 4.15 to trade at $105.62 a barrel.
In foreign exchange, the Canadian dollar showed small changes versus major currencies: CAD/USD was unchanged 0.12% at 0.72, while CAD/EUR was unchanged 0.36% at 0.62. The US Dollar Index Futures declined 0.37% to 99.44.
The market closed with a narrow advance in the headline index amid a greater number of individual declines, mixed commodity signals and a modest uptick in implied volatility.