TSX Closer: Index Edges Higher as Financials, Base Metals Gain

04:23 PM EDT, 09/25/2026 (MT Newswires) -- The S&P/TSX Composite Index edged higher on Friday as gains in financials, base metals and health care outweighed weakness in technology and telecom, while investors assessed fresh Canadian fiscal and economic data alongside lower oil prices. The index closed up 94.43 points, or 0.3%, at 35,800.89 with mixed sectors. Financial led advancers, up 1.1%, followed by base metals and healthcare that closed up 0.5% and 0.3%, respectively. Shares in information technology and telecom closed down 1.1% and 0.9%, respectively. The Battery Metals Index, which includes companies listed both on the TSX and TSX Venture Exchange, dropped 0.8%. In commodities, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) and Brent crude fell on Friday as hopes for progress toward a US-Iran truce eased some concerns over Middle East supply disruptions, with negotiators exploring a possible path toward reopening the Strait of Hormuz. November WTI crude oil contract settled down $2.20, or 2.3%, at $92.41 per barrel, while November Brent oil was last down $2.28, or 2.1%, at $104.32 per barrel. Meanwhile, December Comex gold futures jumped 0.7%, or $29.10, to $4,327.10 per ounce at last look. In currencies, the US dollar edged higher 0.04% against the Canadian dollar, with USD/CAD at 1.4144 at last look. The federal government posted a budgetary deficit of CA$5.1 billion for the April to July period of the 2026-27 fiscal year, compared to a deficit of CA$7.8 billion reported for the same period last year, according to monthly fiscal monitor report released by the Finance Department on Friday. The deficit came as revenue stood at CA$175.5 billion for the period, up from CA$163.4 billion in the prior year period. In economic news, Canada's advance estimate for wholesale sales, excluding oil, oil products and other hydrocarbons, as well as oilseed and grain, declined 1.5% month over month in August, Statistics Canada said Friday. The decline was mainly driven by weaker sales of agricultural supplies in the miscellaneous subsector, as well as lower sales of motor vehicles and parts and accessories, the agency wrote. On the labor-market front, Canada's July payrolls report points to continued improvement in employment, with little evidence of inflationary pressure, according to Rosenberg Research in a Friday note. Payroll employment rose by 26,100 in July, marking a fifth consecutive monthly increase. The figures suggest the labor market may be entering the early stages of a recovery, wrote Rosenberg Research in the note.