TORONTO — Canada’s main stock index moved higher in mid-morning trading after dipping into the red at the open, while U.S. markets were down as retail and industrial numbers for April showed the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak.
The S&P/TSX composite index was up 53.28 points at 14,562.94 as gains in energy and materials stocks offset losses in finance and industrials.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 221.78 points at 23,403.56. The S&P 500 index was down 26.97 points at 2,825.53, while the Nasdaq composite was down 76.77 points at 8,866.56.
The Canadian dollar traded for 70.99 cents US compared with an average of 70.97 cents US on Thursday.
The July crude contract was up 68 cents at US$28.56 per barrel and the June natural gas contract was down a penny at US$1.67 per mmBTU.
The June gold contract was up US$11.40 at US$1,752.30 an ounce and the July copper contract was down 1.2 cents at US$2.334 a pound.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 15, 2020
