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TSX ends up 0.2% at 25,049.67
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Eclipses Wednesday's record closing high
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Energy climbs 2.4%; oil settles 0.4% higher
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Technology pulls back 3.5%
(Updates at market close)
By Fergal Smith
Nov 14 (Reuters) - Canada's main stock index extended
its record-setting run on Thursday as gains for energy shares
offset a pullback in technology stocks and investors weighed
recent declines for the Canadian dollar.
The S&P/TSX composite index ended up 60.65 points,
or 0.2%, at 25,049.67, eclipsing the record closing high it
posted on Wednesday and marking its fourth consecutive day of
gains.
"The broad optimism after the U.S. election continues," said
Angelo Kourkafas, senior investment strategist at Edward Jones.
"Yes, there are some concerns about what Trump policies
might mean but at the same time corporate profits are on the
rise, the economy is still growing and interest rates are lower
which is a really good mix for further gains."
Ongoing economic growth, a solid job market, and inflation
that remains above the 2% target mean the Federal Reserve does
not need to rush to lower interest rates and can deliberate
carefully, Chair Jerome Powell said.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has proposed sweeping
tariffs that could hurt Canada's trade-dependent economy. The
Canadian dollar touched its weakest level since May 2020
at 1.4053 per U.S. dollar, or 71.16 U.S. cents.
"We have seen a significant depreciation of the Canadian
dollar but relative to other currencies, it has held up pretty
well," Kourkafas said.
The energy sector rose 2.4% as the price of oil clawed back
some recent declines, settling 0.4% higher at $68.70 a barrel.
Shares of Paramount Resources ( PRMRF ) jumped 15.3% after
the company agreed to a $2.38 billion all-cash deal to sell oil
assets to shale producer Ovintiv ( OVV ).
The materials group, which includes fertilizer companies and
metal mining shares, was up 1% and heavily weighted financials
added 0.6%.
The biggest decliner was technology. It was down 3.5% after
notching gains in the previous seven sessions.