The TSX opened at a record high on Wednesday but reversed course, finishing the day in negative territory. Mining and energy shares led the decline as investors processed US employment data showing that job creation exceeded expectations.
Prime Minister Mark Carney said he is confident that the dispute over a $4.7‑billion bridge project linking Detroit and Windsor, will be settled after speaking with President Donald Trump. Earlier in the week, Trump had threatened to block the bridge’s opening as part of his ongoing trade-related tensions with Canada. Canada is paying the full upfront cost of the Gordie Howe International Bridge.
In the US, markets saw little movement, as a stronger-than-expected January jobs report failed to drive lasting gains. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that non-farm payrolls increased by 130,000 last month. The release had been postponed due to the partial government shutdown that ended on February 3rd.
The Canadian dollar traded for 73.77 cents US compared to 73.76 cents US on Tuesday.
US crude futures traded US$1.01 higher at US$64.97 a barrel, and the Brent contract rose $0.99 to US$69.79 a barrel.
The price of gold was up US$64.08 to US$5,072.57.
In world markets, the Nikkei remained at ¥57,650.54, the Hang Seng was up 83.23 points to HK$27,266.38, the FTSE was up 118.27 points to ₤10,472.11, and the DAX was down 131.70 points to €24,856.15.
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