Canadian markets finished the week on a split note, led by gains in technology and consumer discretionary stocks. Investors also reviewed a fresh round of US earnings results while keeping a close eye on ongoing geopolitical developments in the Middle East. Economic data showed Canada’s Industrial Product Price Index slipped 1.4 per cent in June from May but remained 12.4 per cent higher than a year ago. The Raw Materials Price Index fell 6.9 per cent in June while posting a 20.7 per cent annual increase.
South of the border, US equities were equally divided after President Donald Trump said he would soon determine whether to authorize a large-scale strike against Iran. The comments came as the regional conflict spread to the Red Sea. Speaking with Axios, Trump suggested any military response would be more significant than previous actions taken during the conflict and stated that Iran had not yet experienced sufficient consequences.
| TSX | 35,369.10 | +176.44 |  |
| TSXV | 868.62 | -5.47 |  |
| CSE | 153.38 | -0.09 | |
| DJIA | 51,947.25 | +235.60 | |
| NASDAQ | 24,975.82 | -161.87 | |
| S&P 500 | 7,411.98 | +3.68 | |
The Canadian dollar traded for 70.93 cents US compared to 71.01 cents US on Thursday.
US crude futures traded US$2.89 lower at US$89.30 a barrel, and the Brent contract lost US$3.89 to US$96.80 a barrel.
The price of gold was up US$9.13 to US$4,056.74.
In world markets, the Nikkei was down 1,811.45 points to ¥64,611.15, the Hang Seng was down 247.58 points to HK$24,963.23, the FTSE was up 94.98 points to ₤10,734.15, and the DAX was up 355.88 points to €25,099.00.
