TORONTO, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- Canadian's main stock market was slightly up on Thursday as the health care and financial sectors weighed, extending the 15-month peak registered on Wednesday.
The Toronto Stock Exchange's benchmark Standard&Poor's/TSX Composite Index ticked up 7.78 points, or 0.05 percent, to close the day at 14,848.27 points. Five of the 10 sub-sectors in the index closed the day ahead.
The TSX Health care group saw the largest gains on the day, advancing 1.07 percent. Laval-based firms ProMetic Life Sciences Inc. and Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc. saw shares rise 2.88 percent to 3.21 Canadian dollars (2.43 U.S. dollars) and 0.79 percent to 29.18 Canadian dollars (22.07 dollars) respectively.
The Financial sector was up 0.20 percent as Montreal-based Laurentian Bank of Canada shares rose 0.62 percent to 48.95 Canadian dollars (37.02 dollars) a day after the announcement of the launch of a new energy investment banking team in Calgary.
Crude oil prices took a hit on the day, as Brent for December delivery fell 2.21 percent to close at 51.38 dollars a barrel in London.
The dip in crude oil did not hurt energy stocks, as the sub-sector rose 0.29 percent on the day. Calgary-based Suncor Energy Inc. shares advanced 1.02 percent to 38.77 Canadian dollars (29.32 dollars).
Gold ended a four-day upswing, falling 2.40 dollars to 1267.50 dollars an ounce for a contract in December. The TSX Materials Group, which features miners of gold and other metals rose 0.45 percent.
Toronto-based gold miner Centerra Gold Inc. shares rose 1.52 percent to 6.70 Canadian dollars (5.07 dollars) after the firm completed a 1.1 billion-dollar purchase of American miner Thompson Creek Metals.
The deal will provide Centerra with access to a British Columbia mine, adding to their existing gold mining operations in Kyrgyzstan and Mongolia.
Shares of Postmedia Network Canada Corp, one of largest newspaper publishers in Canada plummeted 11.11 percent to 2.00 Canadian dollars (1.51 dollars) after the company reported a net loss of 99.1 million Canadian dollars during its fourth quarter, compared with 54.1 million Canadian dollars during the same period last year.
The company also announced plans to cut 20 percent of employee compensation expenses through a voluntary buyout program. Postmedia has over 200 brands across print, online, and mobile platforms reaching communities across Canada.
The Canadian dollar fell 0.0057 to end the day at 0.7562 U.S. dollars.
