CANADA STOCKS-Energy stocks help TSX rise despite U.S. jobs data surprise

February 03, 2023 10:47 AM EST | By Reuters
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(Updates prices, adds comments and details)

By Shashwat Chauhan

Feb 3 (Reuters) - Canada's main stock index climbed on Friday, as a jump in oil prices propped up energy stocks, while upbeat corporate earnings also helped keep the index in the green.

At 10:27 a.m. ET (1527 GMT), the Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index was up 52.86 points, or 0.25%, at 20,793.3, on track to post its fifth straight weekly gain.

Energy stocks took an early lead, rising 2.6%, helped by a jump in crude prices, which gained more than $1 a barrel.

Methanol producer

Methanex

and software company

OpenText Corp

gained 7.3% and 4.5% respectively after reporting better-than-expected quarterly results.

A surge in OpenText helped Canada's technology sector stave off losses, unlike the technology-heavy U.S. Nasdaq, which fell more than 1% during early trading.

On the flipside, the materials sector, which includes precious and base metal mining companies, edged 1.3% lower as precious metal prices fell against a stronger dollar.

The greenback gained strength after data showed U.S. job growth

accelerated sharply

in January amid a persistently resilient labor market.

"Initially, the market took that as being a little bit hawkish in terms of the Fed... the stocks have bounced back quite significantly since then," said Colin Cieszynski, chief market strategist at SIA Wealth Management.

"People were more concerned about what does that mean about the Fed, but the flip side of which is that it's indicative that the economy is holding up pretty well, which is good for corporate earnings."

The U.S. central bank

raised

its overnight lending rate by expected 25-basis points on Wednesday, with accompanying commentary by Chair Jerome Powell largely perceived as dovish.

Among individual stocks, Canada Goose Holdings gained 7.8% after falling as much as 24% in the previous session, when the luxury goods maker

cut

its full-year forecasts.

Silver miners such as Endeavour Silver and SilverCrest Metals were among top losers. (Reporting by Shashwat Chauhan in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri and Maju Samuel)


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