Investing.com – Canada stocks were higher after the close on Thursday, as gains in the Clean Technology, Energy and Consumer Staples sectors led shares higher.
At the close in Toronto, the S&P/TSX Composite added 0.15%.
The best performers of the session on the S&P/TSX Composite were NexGen Energy Ltd. (TO:NXE), which rose 8.40% or 0.200 points to trade at 2.580 at the close. Meanwhile, Mullen Group Ltd . (TO:MTL) added 6.76% or 1.04 points to end at 16.43 and Linamar Corporation (TO:LNR) was up 6.07% or 3.36 points to 58.69 in late trade.
The worst performers of the session were New Gold Inc (TO:NGD), which fell 20.59% or 0.490 points to trade at 1.890 at the close. Eldorado Gold Corp (TO:ELD) declined 8.05% or 0.12 points to end at 1.37 and Barrick Gold Corporation (TO:ABX) was down 6.29% or 0.97 points to 14.46.
Rising stocks outnumbered declining ones on the Toronto Stock Exchange by 601 to 463 and 157 ended unchanged.
Shares in New Gold Inc (TO:NGD) fell to 5-year lows; falling 20.59% or 0.490 to 1.890. Shares in Barrick Gold Corporation (TO:ABX) fell to 52-week lows; losing 6.29% or 0.97 to 14.46.
The S&P/TSX 60 VIX, which measures the implied volatility of S&P/TSX Composite options, was down 6.91% to 12.52.
Gold Futures for August delivery was down 0.76% or 9.40 to $1222.40 a troy ounce. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Crude oil for delivery in September rose 0.51% or 0.35 to hit $69.65 a barrel, while the September Brent oil contract rose 0.92% or 0.68 to trade at $74.61 a barrel.
CAD/USD was down 0.21% to 0.7649, while CAD/EUR rose 0.51% to 0.6568.
The US Dollar Index Futures was up 0.62% at 94.56.