Canada’s main stock index saw a modest uptick on Wednesday, buoyed by rising prices in the metals and oil sectors. Gold surged past the US$4,000-per-ounce mark for the first time, as investors sought refuge in the safe-haven asset amid escalating geopolitical tensions. Copper also edged higher, driven by ongoing concerns over potential supply disruptions. At Tuesday’s meeting between US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Mark Carney, Trump offered reassurances regarding the impact of US tariffs on Canadian exports, though he appeared less enthusiastic about the trilateral trade pact involving Mexico. This marked Carney’s second visit to the White House in five months, as pressure mounts for him to address tariffs affecting key Canadian industries such as steel and automotive manufacturing.
US equities posted slight gains, with the S&P 500 ending a seven-day winning streak following a decline in Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) shares. The drop raised questions about the durability of the recent rally in artificial intelligence-related stocks. Meanwhile, the federal government shutdown entered its second week. Oracle’s slide came after media reported that the company’s cloud business margins were underperforming relative to analyst expectations, and that it was incurring losses on certain deals involving the rental of Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) chips.
The Canadian dollar traded for 71.63 cents US compared to 71.65 cents US on Tuesday.
US crude futures traded $0.84 higher at US$62.57 a barrel, and the Brent contract rose $0.77 to US$66.22 a barrel.
The price of gold was up US$76.69 to US$4,057.09.
In world markets, the Nikkei was down 215.89 points to ¥47,734.99, the Hang Seng was down 128.31 points to HK$26,829.46, the FTSE was up 65.29 points to ₤9,548.87, and the DAX was up 211.35 points to €24,597.13.
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