By Maiya Keidan
TORONTO (Reuters) – Canada’s main stock index ended marginally firmer on Tuesday, led by energy and materials, while Lundin Mining Corp hit a three-week high on buying a majority stake in a copper mine.
The Toronto Stock Exchange’s S&P/TSX composite index closed up 32.79 points, or 0.2%, at 19,657.53.
“The big thing is we’re starting to see a bit more of a rotation back towards the banks and the energy stocks,” said Greg Taylor, a portfolio manager at Purpose Investments. “That’s really good for the TSX because the TSX has really underperformed other indices this month.”
Tuesday marked the second consecutive trading session of gains this week for the Toronto Stock Exchange, which is heavily weighted toward commodities and financials.
But the TSX composite index is still 4.5% weaker since the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank earlier this month triggered fears of a banking crisis.
The broader materials sector, which includes gold and base metals miners and fertilizer companies, ended 0.9% higher, tracking gains in bullion prices.
Energy stocks climbed 1.4%, tracking oil prices, amid supply disruption risks from Iraqi Kurdistan.
Canada’s financials sector ended slightly down 0.1%, though still higher than on Thursday and Friday, while industrials rose 0.1% on Tuesday.
Lundin soared 6.9% to nearly a three-week high after the miner said it would buy a 51% stake in Chile’s Caserones copper mine for about $950 million to expand its exposure to the red metal crucial for the green energy transition.
The Toronto market’s technology sector ended down 1%.
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland presented this year’s budget to parliament after markets closed.
(Reporting by Maiya Keidan; Editing by Richard Chang)
