Buzz on the Bullboards: The TSX’s week (so far) in review

What a week it has been already. Canada’s main stock index kicked off the week with a strong rally, reflecting gains seen on Wall Street. This surge followed media reports suggesting that the U.S. might adopt a more moderate approach to new tariffs than initially anticipated. U.S. markets also surged after reports indicated that President Donald Trump plans to delay some of the tariffs originally set for April 2nd. This news raised hopes that the U.S. might avoid triggering a global trade war. According to The Wall Street Journal, the tariffs are expected to be more limited in scope and may exclude certain industry-specific duties, as cited by an administration official. Bloomberg News also reported that Trump would exempt some countries from the tariffs.

The TSX increased on Tuesday, driven by geopolitical tensions and uncertainties surrounding tariffs, which boosted the prices of oil, gold, and copper. Copper prices saw a slight uptick over C$7.44 as markets kept an eye on the metal’s movement to the U.S. amid potential tariff concerns. However, the gains were tempered by a stronger dollar.

On Wednesday, the index dropped primarily due to losses in the technology sector. The market also faced uncertainty regarding the new U.S. tariffs set to be implemented next week.

Theralase Technologies (TSXV:TLT, Forum), a pharmaceutical stock focused on treating a diversity of unmet needs, demonstrated that its flagship Ruvidar is more effective against the herpes virus than standard of care Acyclovir (1 per cent) and Abreva. The results, achieved in Balb/C mice in a preclinical setting, support the safety and efficacy of topically applied Ruvidar for accelerated healing of type 1 herpes, most commonly experienced as cold sores.

Almost 4.5 billion people carry type 1 or the sexually transmitted type 2 variants of the uncurable infection, translating into a US$2.8 billion treatment market expected to reach US$4.7 billion by 2033.

Theralase stock is up 18.18 per cent since March 2024 and trades at $0.20.

Bombardier Defense, a subsidiary of Bombardier (TSX:BBD, Forum), sold two Challenger 650s to Principle Finance, a provider of customized operating lease for aircraft in Australia, which will deploy them on intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions upon delivery in 2026. The Challenger 650, configured for business jet use, can fly for up to 11 hours over a maximum range of 4,000 nautical miles (7,408 km) and has achieved a dispatch reliability of over 99.9 per cent.

According to Tuesday’s news release, the aircraft is “an ideal choice for ISR missions by flying higher, faster and farther than legacy airborne platforms, ensuring the coverage of expansive territories, and offering performance comparable to large maritime patrol aircraft at fractions of their purchase and operating costs”.

The deal continues Bombardier’s expansion in Australia in recent years, including a recently debuted line maintenance station in Perth – the company’s 10th such station around the world – in addition to Bombardier Defense’s first office in Adelaide opened in May 2024 and the company’s Melbourne service center opened in 2022.

Bombardier Defense will be in attendance at the Avalon Airshow in Avalon, Australia, until Sunday, March 30th, 2025.

Bombardier stock was up 47.09 per cent since March 2024 and trades at C$86.09.

Gatekeeper Systems (TSXV:GSI, Forum), a smart video technology stock, secured a C$620,000 contract with an Ontario transportation agency to supply its Mobile Data Collectors and video systems on transit buses. The contract, which also includes annually recurring services, brings the company’s transit customer base to more than 60, following:

• Two school bus contracts in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
• A C$955,000 OEM paratransit contract from Coach & Equipment Bus Sales in the U.S.
• A C$3.5 million maintenance and repair contract from the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority.

Gatekeeper’s multi-bagger return since 2020 is well-deserved and the proof is in its income statements, which detail consistent growth in revenue and gross profitability to date, as well as positive net income over the past three fiscal years.

Gatekeeper stock is down 35.90 per cent since this time last year and trades at $0.50.

Investors should deepen their due diligence into news-making stocks to ensure their portfolios are kept as up-to-date as possible. Happy investing!

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(Top image generated with AI.)