Daily Wrap-Up: TSX closes higher as gold, financials rise

TSX closes higher as gold, financials rise... Canadians invested more in US bonds, equities... Trudeau trusts Trump on trade...

Daily Wrap-Up: TSX closes higher as gold, financials rise
Steve Randall
TSX closes higher as gold, financials rise
The main TSX index closed higher Thursday, outperforming Wall Street, as gold prices gained 2 per cent and the heavily-weighted financial sector joined the 7 that closed with gains.

Consumer staples saw the biggest gain though as Premium Brands Holdings reported record fourth quarter results; its shares were up more than 5 per cent.

Wall Street lost ground following a strong rise in the previous session with healthcare and utilities dragging the Dow and S&P500 lower while the Nasdaq closed flat.

European indexes closed mostly higher following the Dutch election result which showed pro-EU sentiment is still alive. Asian markets closed mostly higher.

The S&P/TSX Composite Index closed up 41.50 (0.27 per cent)
The Dow Jones closed down 15.55 (0.07 per cent)
Oil is trending lower (Brent $51.74, WTI $48.77 at 5.20pm)
Gold is trending higher (1226.10 at 5.20pm)
The loonie is valued at U$0.7507

Canadians invested more in US bonds, equities
There was an increase in Canadian investors acquisitions of US equities in January while showing a sharp decline in non-US holdings. Both US and non-US bonds were also popular investments according to Statistics Canada.

Foreign debt securities, led by US government instruments, saw a rebound to $4.9 billion following two months of divestment. Investments in US equities gained $3.8 billion while $104 million of non-US equities were divested.

Foreign equity investment by Canadians was sharply lower than the $11.7 billion in December.

Foreign investors bought Canadian debt but sold equities and their overall investment in Canadian securities eased to $6.2 billion.

Trudeau trusts Trump on trade
Canada’s prime minister says that he believes that Donald Trump will keep his word when it comes to the renegotiation of the free trade deal.

Justin Trudeau was speaking to NBC’s Tom Browkaw and said "I very much take him at his word when he talks about just making a few tweaks." That’s despite concerns that some within the Trump administration may seek tougher changes.

President Trump has insisted that Canada would not suffer significantly from a new NAFTA, unlike Mexico which he sees as having terms which damage US jobs.

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