Market close recap
Canada's equity benchmark finished the trading day in Toronto lower, with the S&P/TSX Composite down 0.48% at the close on Thursday. Sector-level declines in IT, Materials and Clean Technology were cited as the primary drags on the index.
Top and bottom movers
The session's strongest performer on the S&P/TSX Composite was 5N Plus Inc. (TSX:VNP), which climbed 19.05%, gaining 3.72 points to finish at 23.25. The stock reached an all-time high during the rally.
Other notable advancers included Rogers Communications Inc (TSX:RCIb), which rose 5.69% or 2.80 points to close at 52.00, and Canadian Pacific Kansas City Limited (TSX:CP), up 5.13% or 4.99 points to 102.27 in late trade.
On the downside, Vizsla Silver Corp (TSX:VZLA) registered a 14.90% fall, down 1.38 points to 7.88 at the close. Celestica Inc. (TSX:CLS) declined 13.54%, slipping 63.23 points to end the session at 403.89, and Orla Mining Ltd (TSX:OLA) lost 13.52%, or 3.58 points, closing at 22.90.
Market breadth and volatility
Declining issues outnumbered advancing ones on the Toronto Stock Exchange, with 545 stocks ending lower compared with 414 that advanced; 76 issues finished unchanged. The S&P/TSX 60 VIX, a gauge of implied volatility for S&P/TSX Composite options, rose 2.48% to 15.27.
Commodities and currencies
In commodities trading, gold futures for April delivery were higher by 1.85% or 99.01, trading at $5,439.21 a troy ounce. Crude oil for March delivery advanced 3.24% or 2.05 to reach $65.26 a barrel, while the April Brent contract increased 3.04% or 2.05 to trade at $69.42 a barrel.
Currency pairs involving the Canadian dollar were effectively unchanged in the session: CAD/USD was up 0.52% to 0.74 and CAD/EUR was up 0.39% to 0.62. The US Dollar Index Futures moved down 0.23% to 96.06.
Context and closing notes
Thursday's session featured a mix of sizable individual stock moves amid a broadly softer close for the TSX. Several heavyweight names posted gains while a number of materials and technology-related issuers produced sharp declines. Measures of option-implied volatility increased modestly as commodity prices, notably gold and crude oil, rose for the day.