Canadian stocks eased a bit from their record highs on Wednesday as lighter holiday trading volumes and mixed commodity prices kept investors on the sidelines. Following a four-session winning streak, the S&P/TSX Composite Index slipped 59 points, or 0.2%, to close at 32,000.
Even as real estate and financial stocks trended higher, sharp intraday declines in some key sectors like healthcare, mining, and energy, weighed on the broader index.
Nevertheless, with 0.8% gains in the first three days of the week, the TSX benchmark ended its third straight weekly advance, highlighting the market’s strong finish to 2025.
Top TSX Composite movers and active stocks
Perpetua Resources, Seabridge Gold, NGEx Minerals, and IAMGOLD were the worst-performing TSX stocks for the day, with each diving by at least 2.5%.
Shares of Bausch Health Companies (TSX: BHC) also slid by 2% to $9.84 apiece after the Laval-based healthcare giant announced the final results of its debt exchange offers. The company said about $2.7 billion of its existing senior secured notes due 2028 were tendered, with roughly $1.6 billion expected to be exchanged into new 10% senior secured notes due 2032.
While this transaction could help push out maturities and simplify Bausch’s debt profile, it also locks in a relatively high interest rate on the new notes. Investors appeared cautious about the cost of refinancing and the overall leverage implications. Despite the recent weakness, BHC stock has risen nearly 11% so far in December.
On the flip side, Brookfield Business Partners, Celestica, Cargojet, and Northland Power rose by at least 1.5% each, making them the session’s top performers on the Toronto Stock Exchange.
Based on their daily trade volume, Telus, Canadian Natural Resources, TC Energy, Cenovus Energy, and B2Gold were the five most active stocks on the exchange.
TSX today
Although the Canadian stock market remained closed for Boxing Day on Friday, metals prices continued to edge sharply higher in global trading, helping set a constructive tone for TSX mining stocks at the open today. However, weaker crude oil prices in early Monday trading may limit gains for energy stocks and weigh slightly on the broader index.
While no major domestic economic releases are due, Canadian investors may want to keep an eye on the latest U.S. pending home sales this morning.
With just a few trading sessions left in the year, market activity on both sides of the border may stay relatively subdued, but any sector-specific moves could still impact the TSX’s year-end direction as it currently trades with solid year-to-date gains of 29.4%.
Market movers on the TSX today
