Canada’s main stock index finished modestly higher on Wednesday as gold prices climbed to a new record high and investors assessed the latest interest rate announcements from central banks. The Bank of Canada kept its benchmark interest rate unchanged at 2.25 per cent, with the Bank Rate holding at 2.5 per cent and the deposit rate at 2.2 per cent. Energy, tech, and mining logged gains for the TSX, while every other sector finished in the red.
In the United States, the Federal Reserve also left interest rates unchanged while Chair Jerome Powell and the central bank face a criminal investigation initiated by the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, a close ally of President Donald Trump. Meanwhile, the S&P 500 reached a significant milestone, briefly surpassing the 7,000-mark for the first time ahead of major tech companies’ upcoming earnings reports.
| TSX | 33,176.07 | +79.67 |  |
| TSXV | 1,148.10 | +5.23 | |
| CSE | 178.56 | −1.75 |  |
| DJIA | 49,015.60 | +12.19 | |
| NASDAQ | 23,857.45 | +40.35 | |
| S&P 500 | 6,978.03 | -0.57 | |
The Canadian dollar traded for 73.77 cents US compared to 72.63 cents US on Tuesday.
US crude futures traded US$1.04 higher at US$63.43 a barrel, and the Brent contract rose US$1.03 to US$68.60 a barrel.
The price of gold was up US$299.14 to US$5,384.14.
In world markets, the Nikkei was up 25.17 points to ¥53,358.71, the Hang Seng was up 699.96 points to HK$27,826.91, the FTSE was down 53.37 points to ₤10,154.43, and the DAX was down 71.65 points to €24,822.79.
Stockhouse does not provide investment advice or recommendations. All investment decisions should be made based on your own research and consultation with a registered investment professional. The issuer is solely responsible for the accuracy of the information contained herein. For full disclaimer information, please click here.
