TORONTO - The Toronto stock market advanced for a fifth straight day, carried higher by gains in the healthcare sector, as shares in Quebec drugmaker Valeant Pharmaceuticals surged 25 per cent.
The S&P/TSX composite index climbed 45.61 points to 14,801.23.
Valeant (TSX:VRX) reported that it was able to stick to its earnings outlook, despite reporting a wider second-quarter loss.
Its stock added $7.37 to $36.88.
New York indices were mostly flat.
The Dow Jones industrial average was up 3.76 points at 18,533.05 while the broader S&P 500 composite index was ahead 0.85 points to 2,181.74.
The Nasdaq composite set an all-time record, settling at 5,225.48, a rise of 12.34 points.
The Canadian dollar was able to chalk up a gain, adding 0.23 of a U.S. cent to 76.20 cents US despite lower crude prices.
The September crude contract was down 25 cents at US$42.77 per barrel while the September natural gas fell 13 cents to US$2.61.
December gold contracts rose $5.40 to US$1,346.70 an ounce and September copper contracts fell a cent to US$2.15 a pound.