Couple randomly attacked, 1 stabbed, by group of teens in Toronto, police say
A man has been transported to hospital after police say he was stabbed in a random attack carried out by a group of teens in Toronto on Friday night.
Canada's main stock exchange closed at an all-time high as commodities like gold and oil benefitted from a weaker U.S. dollar on Thursday.
Mike Archibald, vice-president and portfolio manager with AGF Investments Inc., said strong performances from commodities-based companies in equity markets drove the resource-heavy S&P/TSX composite index up, and also led to the Canadian dollar trading above 80 cents US again.
“This'll be the sixth straight month of positive gains in Toronto, so the bull market in stocks is continuing here,” said Archibald.
“The U.S. dollar is down quite a bit today ... that's got gold, silver, copper, oil all moving higher here today.”
The S&P/TSX composite index was up 81.38 points at 20,311.78.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 153.60 points at 35,084.53. The S&P 500 index was up 18.51 points at 4,419.15, while the Nasdaq composite was up 15.68 points at 14,778.26.
The Canadian dollar traded for 80.32 cents US compared with 79.58 cents US on Wednesday.
Those gains were largely due to weakness in the greenback. Archibald said the U.S dollar is lower after a weaker-than-expected American GDP report for the second quarter.
Quarterly earnings reports from dozens of companies in Canada and the U.S. were also a big market driver, with Archibald saying many Canadian companies had positive statements for the quarter.
He said there were strong numbers from Industrial Alliance Financial Group, Cenovus Energy Inc., Kirkland Lake Gold Ltd. and West Fraser Timber Co., which all had their stocks rising at least two per cent.
Archibald pointed out that mining companies posting strong numbers had stock increases today based on both their earnings reports and the rising price off commodities.
The December gold contract was up US$31.20 at US$1,835.90 an ounce and the September copper contract was up nearly 4.2 cents at US$4.52 a pound.
The September crude oil contract was up US$1.23 at US$73.62 per barrel and the September natural gas contract was up 9.2 cents at nearly US$4.06 per mmBTU.
Meanwhile, the TSX's healthcare index dropped slightly after major gains on Wednesday from marijuana companies that reported their earnings that day. Companies like Tilray Inc. saw their stock rise by over 25 per cent Wednesday, but that company dipped by 4.34 per cent today.
The healthcare index was down two per cent after rising nearly 10 per cent Wednesday.
Archibald said the cannabis sector continues to be a tricky place to invest.
“The marijuana companies have had a difficult time meeting predictions that they've provided,” he said, saying that the pull back may be based on investors wondering whether companies will actually meet lofty projections.
“The rollout across Canada has been a lot slower than many had projected if you go back and look over time.”
Meanwhile, Archibald said investors will be looking out for reports from Enbridge Inc. and Restaurant Brands International Inc. tomorrow for their second quarter earnings in particular.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 29, 2021.
A man has been transported to hospital after police say he was stabbed in a random attack carried out by a group of teens in Toronto on Friday night.
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
With carriers' flight volumes above the 60th parallel hovering below pre-pandemic levels, Canadian North’s first Inuk CEO now bears the task of balancing those financial and logistical challenges with the needs of communities for which she feels a deep affinity.
One of greatest climbing guides on Mount Everest has scaled the world's highest peak for the 29th time, extending his own record for most times to the summit, expedition organizers said Sunday.
Amid significant criticism from advocates, Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities Minister Kamal Khera is defending her government's long-promised, newly unveiled Canada Disability Benefit, calling the funds an "initial step," but without laying out a timeline for future expansion of the program.
RCMP commissioner Mike Duheme says he wants the government to look at drafting a new law that would make it easier for police to pursue charges against people who threaten elected officials.
Homicide investigators in B.C. say murder charges have been laid against a fourth Indian national in connection to the killing of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar outside a Surrey gurdwara last year.
Past left-leaning presidents who enacted some of the most socially liberal policies on the continent have given way to a self-proclaimed "anarcho-capitalist" whose fiery appraisals of social justice and efforts to dismantle diversity and equity programs have made him into a global far-right icon.
For decades, North Bay, Ontario's water supply has harboured chemicals associated with liver and developmental issues, cancer and complications with pregnancy. It's far from the only city with that problem.
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
A Listowel, Ont. man, drafted by the Hamilton Tigercats last week, is also getting looks from the NFL, despite only playing 27 games of football in his life.
The threat of zebra mussels has prompted the federal government to temporarily ban watercraft from a Manitoba lake popular with tourists.
A small Ajax dessert shop that recently received a glowing review from celebrity food critic Keith Lee is being forced to move after a zoning complaint was made following the social media influencer’s visit last month.
The Canada Science and Technology Museum is inviting visitors to explore their poop. A new exhibition opens at the Ottawa museum on Friday called, 'Oh Crap! Rethinking human waste.'
The Regina Police Service says it is the first in Saskatchewan and possibly Canada to implement new technology in its detention facility that will offer real-time monitoring of detainees’ vital health metrics.
Just as she had feared, a restaurant owner from eastern Quebec who visited Montreal had her SUV stolen, but says it was all thanks to the kindness of strangers on the internet — not the police — that she got it back.
The stakes have been set for a bet between Vancouver and Edmonton's mayors on who will win Round 2 of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
A grieving mother is hosting a helmet drive in the hopes of protecting children on Manitoba First Nations from a similar tragedy that killed her daughter.