TSX Down 0.7%, Looks Headed For Another Weak Close

(RTTNews) - After opening slightly higher and advancing further, the Canadian market slipped into negative territory Friday morning, pushed down by losses in healthcare, energy and technology sectors.

Investors are assessing the nation's jobs data, trying to get some clues about the central bank's likely stance on interest rate at its next meeting. Weak oil prices weigh on energy stocks, while materials stocks are finding some support thanks to higher metal prices.

The benchmark S&P/TSX Composite Index, which advanced to 30,358.74 in early trades, was down 213.45 points or 0.7% at 30,056.53 a little while ago.

The Healthcare Capped Index is down 2.5%. Curaleaf Holdings is down 4%, and Bausch Health Companies is down by about 5%. Tilray Brands, which posted a hefty gain in the previous session, is down more than 14%. Canopy Growth and Aurora Cannabis are down 10% and 7%, respectively.

Energy stocks Baytex Energy and Vermilion Energy are down 5.6% and 5.2%, respectively. Athabasca Oil Corp., Headwater Exploration, International Petroleum Corp., Advantage Oil & Gas, Cenovus Energy and Parex Resources are down 3 to 4%.

Among tech stocks, Dye & Durham, Shopify and Sylogist are down 6.3%, 5% and 4.5%, respectively. BlackBerry, Lightspeed Commerce, Celestica, Docebo Inc, Open Text Corporation and Tecsys are down 2 to 4.5%.

Materials stock Perpetua Resources is soaring nearly 10%. Skeena Resources, Seabridge Gold, Torex Gold Resources, Endeavour Silver Corp., Wheton Precious Metals and K92 Mining are gaining 2.5 to 4%.

Metro Inc. has announced that the mechanical issue, which interrupted its store operations on September 12, 2025, will have a net after tax financial impact of $22 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2025. The stock is gaining about 0.5%.

Data from Statistics Canada showed Canada's employment rose by 60,400 in September, following a 65,500 decline in August.

Meanwhile, the unemployment rate in Canada held steady at 7.1% in September, remaining at its highest level since August 2021.

A separate report from Statistics Canada said average hourly wages in Canada increased by 3.3% year-on-year to C$36.78 in September, following a 3.2% growth in August.