It is a sombre start to the long weekend for Canada’s benchmark stock index, which declined on Friday, as investors were unsettled by a sharp selloff in global bond markets. The downturn followed stalled US-Iran negotiations, which weakened overall risk appetite. Speaking on the final day of his visit to China, US President Donald Trump indicated that his patience with Iran was wearing thin. He added that Chinese President Xi Jinping shared the view that Iran should not be permitted to develop nuclear weapons and should reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
US equities also moved lower, pressured by declines in technology shares and a rise in Treasury yields. The drop came after a meeting between Trump and Xi concluded without any major policy progress, leaving market participants concerned about the lack of significant breakthroughs. Oil prices rose due to the lack of progress on a peace deal to end ship attacks and seizures around the Strait of Hormuz.
| TSX | 33,833.35 | -434.92 |  |
| TSXV | 988.83 | -26.24 | |
| CSE | 172.88 | -3.19 | |
| DJIA | 49,526.17 | -537.29 | |
| NASDAQ | 26,225.14 | -410.08 | |
| S&P 500 | 7,408.50 | -92.74 | |
The Canadian dollar traded for 72.69 cents US compared to 72.86 cents US on Thursday.
US crude futures traded US$4.76 higher at US$105.90 a barrel, and the Brent contract rose US$3.87 to US$109.60 a barrel.
The price of gold was down US$144.02 to US$4,534.61.
In world markets, the Nikkei was down 1,244.76 points to ¥61,409.29, the Hang Seng was down 426.31 points to HK$25,962.73, the FTSE was down 177.56 points to ₤10,195.37, and the DAX was down 505.69 points to €23,950.57.
