TSX Continues To Rise, Led By Rogers -- Canadian Commentary

(RTTNews) - Canadian stocks rose for a second session Thursday. The TSX Composite Index added 19.93 points to 15,265.64, extending yesterday's strong gains.

On the corporate front, Canadian Pacific Railway Limited (CP.TO) reported earnings for its second quarter that increased 30% from last year. Shares nudged higher.

Kinder Morgan (KLM.TO) remains on track to start Trans Mountain construction in September, its CEO said. Shares were down slightly.

Rogers Communications Inc (RCIb.TO) reported a better-than-expected quarterly profit. They added 93,000 net postpaid subscribers in the quarter, up 28,000 from a year earlier. Shares were up 1.4 percent.

Hydro One Ltd. (H.TO) has signed a friendly deal to acquire U.S. energy company Avista Corp. (AVA.N) for $4.3 billion. Shares were up fractionally.

In economic news, only 525,300 people received regular Employment Insurance (EI) benefits in May, down 12,800 (-2.4%) from April. This continues a downward trend that began in late autumn 2016, reflecting the relative strength observed in the economy, Stats Canada said.

Yesterday, data showed Canada's manufacturing sales increased for the third consecutive month, up 1.1% to $54.6 billion in May.