CANADA STOCKS-TSX hits record high on energy, financials strength
Updates prices and details throughout
By Tharuniyaa Lakshmi
June 2 (Reuters) - Canada's main stock index climbed to a new peak on Tuesday, helped by gains in energy and financial stocks, even as simmering tensions around the Middle East conflict kept global investors on edge.
At 10:25 a.m. ET, the Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index .GSPTSE was up 0.4% at 34,899.07 points.
Iran is reviewing a proposed agreement with the U.S. to halt their war, Iranian media reported on Tuesday, after U.S. President Donald Trump said talks to reach a deal were continuing.
The energy sector .SPTTEN led gains, up 1.6%, as crude prices stabilized after falling earlier in the session. O/R
Financials were up 0.8%. Six of 10 sectors on the TSX were in the green.
"A lot of the tailwinds of the TSX have been coming from the materials sector and financials which has really helped the TSX lift higher. Remember, a third is financials and a third is materials... so two-thirds of the TSX has performed very well," said Michael Dehal, a senior portfolio manager at Dehal Investment Partners at Raymond James.
Meanwhile, Canada's minister responsible for Canada-U.S. trade, Dominic LeBlanc, will meet U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on Tuesday, the minister's office said in a statement on Monday, after Canada was left out of bilateral trade talks between the U.S. and Mexico last week.
"Canada needs to actually start negotiating, because the further this goes on without them sitting down and having talks, the more volatility we can see," Dehal said.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, pressed about statistics showing the country is in a technical recession, told reporters that as the government pressed ahead with reforms "the data will be uneven".
Among others, Barrick Mining ABX.TO, fell 0.4% after the gold miner said it is weighing a possible London listing for its African business, with a potential all-share transaction with UK-listed Endeavour Mining EDV.L seen as one option under consideration, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.
