Canada’s main stock index stopped short of hitting record highs on Thursday, boosted by gains in rate-sensitive stocks, after the U.S. Federal Reserve stuck to its guidance on rate cuts for 2024.
At 10:55 a.m. ET, the Toronto Stock Exchange’s S&P/TSX composite index was up was up 121.73 points, or 0.57%, at 22,170.40. The benchmark index climbed as much as 0.7% to 22,195.85.
It hit a record high on April 5, 2022, at 22,213.07.
Most sectors were trading in the green, led by rate-sensitive financials and technology sector that rose 0.8% and 0.9%, respectively, after the U.S. Fed signalled it would press ahead with three rate cuts in 2024.
“Rate cut optimism is really the main driver for the markets after the Fed took more of a dovish tone,” said Alan Small, senior investment adviser, Allan Small Financial Group.
“He (Fed Chair Jerome Powell) still believes that you could see three rate cuts this year and I think the market was nervous about that thinking he might cut that to two.”
Materials group, which houses Canada’s precious and base metal miners, gained 0.7% as prices of gold and base metals soared on a softer dollar after the Fed’s rate-cut view.
Consumer staples sector led the sectoral declines, falling 1.5%, led by a 5.6% slump in Alimentation Couche-Tard, after the multinational operator of convenience stores missed earnings expectations.
Meanwhile, the Bank of Canada deputy governor Toni Gravelle said on Thursday that the central bank is continuing its quantitative tightening (QT) program and should wrap it up in 2025, while conceding the operation could end earlier.
U.S. stocks extended their push to record highs Thursday on Wall Street, led by big gains in chipmakers.
The S&P 500 rose 0.6% in morning trading Thursday, following up on hitting a record high for a second straight day. More than 80% of stocks in the index gained ground.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 266 points, or 0.7%. The Nasdaq composite rose 0.7%. Both indexes are also coming off of record high.
Micron surged 14% and led chipmakers higher after reporting blowout results for its latest quarter that easily surpassed analysts’ expectations. Chipmaker Broadcom jumped 5.7% after reporting strong earnings.
On the losing end, a few retailers slipped following disappointing financial updates. Footwear retailer Designer Brands slumped 14.9% and discount retailer Five Below fell 12.2% after their financial forecasts fell short of Wall Street expectations.
Olive Garden owner Darden Restaurants fell 6.1% after cutting its revenue forecast for the year.
Traders will be keeping a close eye on Reddit, whose shares begin trading today.
Treasury yields were mostly steady a day after the Federal Reserve said it still expects to make three rate cuts this year. That helped calm some nerves on Wall Street, which has been rallying to records on expectations for interest rate cuts, but has recently been concerned about hotter-than-expected inflation updates.
Lower interest rates would ease conditions for economic growth and take pressure off of prices for investments. Wall Street expects the Fed to start cutting rates at its meeting in June.
Markets in Europe and Asia gained ground.
The Chinese government announced fresh measures to support its economy.
The Swiss National Bank said it is trimming its key interest rate, a surprise move that makes Switzerland the first major financial center to announce a cut in recent months. The Bank of England kept its main interest rate unchanged at a 16-year high and avoided signaling when it might start to cut even though inflation has dropped sharply.
Reuters and The Associated Press
