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TORONTO, Nov. 18 (Xinhua) -- Canada's main stock market ended the week ahead for a fourth session as Statistics Canada reported a 1.5-percent year-over-year increase in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) during October.
The Toronto Stock Exchange's benchmark Standard & Poor's/TSX Composite Index climbed 37.94 points, or 0.26 percent, to close the session at 14,864.03 points. Four of the 10 sub-sectors finished the day ahead.
Earlier in the day, Canada's national statistics agency announced that the CPI had increased to 1.5 percent in October. This 0.2-percent uptick matched the market consensus.
Of the eight major CPI-components, energy and shelter, the biggest contributors, grew a respective 3.0 percent and 1.9 percent in the last 12 months. The food category faded 0.7 percent, the first time posting a year-over-year decline since January 2000.
Dawn Desjardins, deputy chief economist at Royal Bank of Canada, expects the CPI to continue to rise as energy prices have rallied in November.
"The headline inflation rate recovered after three months of slowing and will likely drift up further as the weight from falling energy prices continues to dissipate," said Desjardins in a report.
She expects the CPI to reach 2 percent but does not expect the Canadian central bank to increase the overnight interest rate.
"Our forecast is that the economy will grow at an above-potential pace throughout 2017, underpinning inflation expectations at 2 percent and preventing a downshift in underlying price pressures. Against this backdrop there will be little reason for the Bank (of Canada) to ease further and we expect they will maintain the overnight rate at 0.5 percent through the next year."
During the trading day, the TSX Energy group saw the biggest gains, rising 1.12 percent as natural gas prices surged 5.25 percent to 2.845 U.S. dollars per million British thermal units. Crude oil also contributed, as a contract for a barrel of Brent in January gained 87 cents to 46.88 U.S. dollars.
Energy makers Encana Corp. and Suncor Corp. shares rose 3.07 percent and 1.43 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, Calgary-based Spartan Energy Corp. announced the strategic acquisition of light oil assets from ARC Resources for 700 million Canadian dollars (about 518 million U.S. dollars). As a result of the news, more than 10 million shares were traded and the stock price faded 1.91 percent to close at 3.08 Canadian dollars (2.28 U.S. dollars).
Also finishing the week strong was the financials subgroup, gaining 0.57 percent. The National Bank of Canada and Toronto-Dominion Bank posted healthy gains of 1.30 percent and 0.83 percent, respectively.
Gold prices continued to be harmed by a surging U.S. dollar. Gold fell to a five-month low of 1207.90 U.S. dollars an ounce, while the U.S. dollar reached a 14-month high. As a result, the materials sub-sector, which is made up of miners of gold and other precious metals, slid 0.69 percent on Friday.
Shares of gold miners Kinross Gold Corp. and B2Gold Corp. dipped 4.38 percent and 1.23 percent, respectively.
The Canadian dollar closed the week at 0.7402 U.S. dollar, a 0.0001 gain from Thursday's end of day rate.
