Canadian stocks rose for a fifth straight session Thursday, lifted by strong commodity prices and hopes of a positive outcome from ongoing U.S. trade talks with key partners ahead of the Good Friday holiday. The S&P/TSX Composite Index advanced by 86 points, or 0.4%, for the day to settle at 24,193 — marking its highest closing since April 3.
Nearly all main sectors ended the session in the green territory, but the market rally was primarily led by healthcare, energy, and utility stocks. With that momentum, the TSX ended the week up 2.6%, its biggest weekly jump in 31 weeks.
Top TSX Composite movers and active stocks
Bausch Health Companies (TSX: BHC) rallied by 13.3% to $7.07 per share, making it the session’s top-performing TSX stock. This rally in BHC stock came after the U.S. District Court ruled in favour of Bausch Health, the FDA, and Teva in a key legal case involving the company’s drug Xifaxan.
The court rejected Norwich Pharmaceuticals’s attempt to gain early approval for its generic version of Xifaxan, siding with the FDA’s decision to delay generic competition until at least 2028. This outcome protected a major revenue source for Bausch’s Salix unit and boosted investor confidence, fueling the stock’s sharp rise. Despite the recent rally, however, BHC stock is still down 39% year to date.
Energy Fuels, Athabasca Oil, and Baytex Energy were also among the top gainers on the Toronto Stock Exchange, with each climbing by at least 4.8%.
On the flip side, Tilray, Endeavour Silver, Aya Gold & Silver, and Wesdome Gold Mines slipped by at least 2.7% each, making them the day’s worst-performing TSX stocks.
Based on their daily trade volume data, Canadian Natural Resources, TD Bank, Royal Bank of Canada, Cenovus Energy, and Enbridge were the five most active stocks on the exchange.
TSX today
Metals prices continued to extend their rally in early Monday trading, which could offer support to TSX mining stocks at the open today.
While no major economic releases are due, Canadian equities may still remain volatile as investors set their expectations for the upcoming corporate earnings season. With the TSX recently logging its best weekly performance in about seven months, traders could turn more selective ahead of key earnings reports that may reveal how companies are navigating trade uncertainties and interest rate pressures.
Market movers on the TSX today
