Canada’s commodity-heavy main stock index fell on Monday, as energy stocks tracked oil prices that declined on concerns over demand from major consumer China, while weakness in pot producers weighed on health-care shares.
The S&P/TSX Composite Index handed back 63.06 points to break for lunch Monday at 21,942.88.
The Canadian dollar slid 0.52 cents to 79.56 cents U.S.
Health-care issues fell hard, retreating from a high of more than a month in the prior session, as pot producers got bruised.
Tilray Brands declined 79 cents, or 7.4%, to $9.93. Aurora Cannabis lost 52 cents, or 9.3%, to $5.06. Canopy Growth let go of 96 cents, or 8.9%, to $9.87. Cronos Group fell 42 cents, or 7.9%, to $4.89.
ON BAYSTREET
The TSX Venture Exchange was 3.93 points in the red to 882.39.
Even so, eight of the 12 TSX subgroups had moved to the positive side by noon hour, with information technology clicking 1.1%, industrials improving 0.5% and communications up 0.2%.
The four laggards were weighed most by health-care, plummeting 4.5%, energy, moving 2.6% lower, and materials, off 1.6%.
ON WALLSTREET
The S&P 500 was steady on Monday as investors took a pause following two straight weeks of gains.
The Dow Jones Industrials fell behind 175.98 points by noon hour EDT Monday at 34,685.26, dragged down by losses in JPMorgan and Chevron
The S&P 500 slouched 4.74 points to 4,538.32.
The NASDAQ Composite remained buoyant 33.27 points to 14,202.57.
Bank stocks ticked lower on Monday as the yield curve flattened. JPMorgan lost 1.9% and Wells Fargo fell 2.7%. Goldman Sachs and Bank of American lost 1% each.
Shares of Tesla popped more than 5% on news it wants to split its stock so it can pay a stock dividend to shareholders.
Other technology stocks like Netflix and Microsoft rose 1% each. Zoom Video rose more than 3%.
Investors continue to monitor developments in Russia’s war on Ukraine. Peace talks between the two nations are set to continue this week, with delegations from both countries traveling to Turkey on Monday.
A Kremlin spokesperson told reporters that discussions were likely to resume Tuesday.
Treasury prices gained some ground, lowering yields to 2.46% from Friday’s 2.48%. Treasury prices and yields move in opposite directions.
Oil prices tumbled $7.68 to $106.22 U.S. a barrel.
Gold prices lost $17.00 to $1,937.20 U.S. an ounce.