Canadian stocks continued to trade on a positive note for the fourth consecutive day on Wednesday as consistent recovery in artificial intelligence (AI)-related stocks and firm commodity prices helped push the broader market higher. The S&P/TSX Composite Index advanced by 280 points, or 0.9%, to 31,180 — not only notching a fresh all-time high but also closing above 31,000 for the first time in history.
Nearly all key market sectors ended the session in the green, but the market rally was mainly led by outstanding gains in mining stocks and technology shares, as investors doubled down on growth plays amid growing rate-cut hopes.
Top TSX Composite movers and active stocks
Aya Gold & Silver (TSX:AYA) jumped by 13.5% to $16.76 per share, making it the top-performing TSX stock for the day. The massive rally in AYA stock followed the company’s announcement of its best-ever mineral intercept from ongoing drilling at the Boumadine project in Morocco. Notably, one standout hole returned a silver equivalent grade of 2,323 grams per tonne over 15 metres.
Aya also identified a new, high-grade parallel structure with long, continuous mineralization, which could significantly expand the resource. The sharp surge in AYA stock reflected investors’ excitement over the project’s growing scale and expansion potential. The stock now trades with 56% year-to-date gains.
Endeavour Silver, Discovery Silver, and First Majestic Silver were also among the top gainers on the Toronto Stock Exchange, with each climbing by at least 8.5%.
On the flip side, iA Financial, Sun Life Financial, Linamar, and Manulife Financial slid by at least 2% each, making them the session’s worst-performing TSX stocks.
Based on their daily trade volume, Manulife Financial, Canadian Natural Resources, Cenovus Energy, Brookfield Asset Management, and Telus were the five most active stocks on the exchange.
TSX today
Commodity prices were largely mixed in early morning trading on Thursday, with oil prices rising, while base metals saw some consolidation after recent gains. These moves could set a more mixed opening for resource-linked sectors on the TSX today after a strong four-day rally.
Trading activity on the TSX may be lighter than usual today, as the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday keeps Wall Street closed and cross-border volume subdued.