The Canadian stock market is turning in a mixed performance Friday morning as investors make cautious moves, reacting to latest updates on coronavirus cases and potential Covid-19 vaccines.
The market is also digesting the data on Canadian retail sales and new housing prices.
The benchmark S&P/TSX Composite Index, which edged down to 16,891.59, advanced to 16,939.35 and is currently up slightly at 16,910.34.
Materials shares are gaining in strength. The Capped Materials Index is up nearly 1.2%. A few stocks from technology, utilities, healthcare and consumer staples sections are also making notable progress.
Industrial, financial, real estate and energy stocks are somewhat sluggish.
Bombardier Inc. (BBD.B.TO) is gaining 7.4% on strong volumes. First Quantum Minerals (FM.TO) is rising 5.2%, while B2Gold Corp (BTO.TO), Barrick Gold Corporation (ABX.TO) and Kinross Gold Corporation (K.TO) are up 1.4 to 1.8%.
Among the prominent losers, Real Matters (REAL.TO) is declining more than 14%. Aurora Cannabis (ACB.TO) and Manulife Financial Corporation (MFC.TO) are down 2.5% and 2.2%, respectively. Suncor Energy (SU.TO) and Cenovus Energy (CVE.TO) are down 1.4% and 1.2%, respectively.
Data from Statistics Canada showed retails sales in the country rose 1.1% in September following an upwardly revised 0.5% increase in August. It was the fifth successive monthly rise in retail trade.
The data also said retail sales increased 4.6% in September 2020 over the same month in the previous year.
Another data from Statistics Canada showed prices of new homes in Canada rose by 0.8% from the previous month in October, following a 1.2% increase in September, which was the largest increase in home prices in fourteen years.
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