Canadian Market Modestly Higher, Looks Set For Another Positive Close

(RTTNews) - The Canadian market is modestly higher Thursday afternoon, and looks headed to close higher for the fourth consecutive day.

Healthcare, energy, consumer discretionary and financials shares are among the notable gainers.

The benchmark S&P/TSX Composite Index is up 55.02 points or 0.28% at 19,873.87.

On the economic front, a report from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business showed small business sentiment in Canada decreased to 54.10 points in June from 56.40 points in May.

Data from Statistics Canada showed average weekly earnings of non-farm payroll employees in Canada rose to 2.9% year-on-year to $1,194 in April 2023, after a 1.4% advance in the prior month.

Kinaxis (KXS.TO), Precision Drilling Corporation (PD.TO), BRP Inc (DOO.TO), Rogers Communications (RCI.A.TO), Restaurant Brands International (QSR.TO), Cameco Corporation (CCO.TO) and Brookfield Infrastructure (BIPC.TO) are up 1 to 3.2%.

Corus Entertainment Inc. (CJR.B.TO) is gaining more than 2%. The company today reported third-quarter net loss of $495.1 million or $2.48 per share. The company's year-to-date net loss is $479.1 million or $2.40 per share.

Constellation Software (CSU.TO), Shopify Inc (SHOP.TO) and Nutrien (NTR.TO) are among the notable losers.