TORONTO _ The Toronto stock market was ahead in early trading as metals prices pushed higher, while the telecom sector took a hit after regulators unveiled major changes in how consumers will get their television services.
The S&P/TSX composite index rose 88.31 points to 14,873.93 shortly after the open.
On the upside, the TSX mining and metals sector rose 3.2 per cent, with the April gold bullion contract ahead $5 to US$1,174 an ounce and the May copper contract up 4.1 cents to US$2.70 a pound.
Meanwhile, the telecom and media sector was down 0.5 per cent. The CRTC revealed Thursday that it will order cable and satellite companies to offer a so-called ``skinny basic'' package of channels for no more than $25 a month. Consumers will also get more freedom to ``pick and pay'' the channels that they want.
On Wall Street, the Dow Jones industrials recovered most of the declines of the previous session, moving ahead 123.65 points to 18,082.68 and the S&P 500 index declined 13.76 points to 2,103.03. The Nasdaq rose 35.99 points to 5,028.37.
And the loonie moved ahead 0.42 of a U.S. cent to 79.00 cents after inflation figures for February showed lower gas prices offset higher prices for nearly everything else.