Canada's main stock market continued up Friday, hitting its highest level in nearly eight months with broad-based gains.

The Toronto Stock Exchange's benchmark Standard & Poor's/TSX Composite Index gained 39.22 points, or 0.25 percent, to finish the day at 15,857.22 after climbing as high as 15,880.67 during the session, its highest level since Feb. 23 this year.

Advancing issues outnumbered declining ones by 149 to 91.

Health-care stocks proved the strongest of all the sectors, as Canopy Growth soared 96 cents, or 8.1 percent, to 12.78 Canadian dollars while Aphria progressed 42 cents, or 6.5 percent, to 6.92 Canadian dollars.

The financial sector, which make up about a third of the index's weight and can drive direction even when individual stock moves are modest, rallied 0.2 percent. Royal Bank of Canada was the index's most influential gainer, rising 0.4 percent to 101.23 Canadian dollars.

Canadian Pacific Railway rose 1.5 percent to 224.16 Canadian dollars. The overall industrials group added 0.6 percent.

The materials sector, which includes mining and other resource firms, rose 0.6 percent as nickel prices hit a six-week high and copper prices remained above 7,000 U.S. dollars a ton on optimism demand will grow in top consumer China.

Teck Resources Ltd rallied 3.2 percent to 28.68 Canadian dollars.

Shopify Inc jumped 5.2 percent to 129.03 Canadian dollars while the overall technology group rose 1.2 percent.

Consumer staples, home to grocers and other food producers, was the only declining group among the market's 10 key sectors, falling 0.1 percent.

Source:
courtesy of XINHUA NEWS AGENCY

by Xinhua News

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