Canadian stocks continued to fall for the third consecutive session on Wednesday as investors weighed an escalating Canada-U.S. trade dispute and another sharp rise in energy prices amid renewed fighting in the Middle East. The S&P/TSX Composite Index plunged by 216 points, or 0.6%, to settle at 35,907, reaching close to its lowest level in over a month.
Even as surging commodity prices helped energy and mining stocks trend higher, sharp declines in many other key market sectors, including healthcare, real estate, and technology, dragged the TSX benchmark down.
Top TSX Composite movers and active stocks
Bird Construction, MDA Space, Boyd Group Services, Bausch Health, and BRP were the day’s worst-performing TSX stocks, falling by at least 4% each.
In contrast, North West Company (TSX: NWC) jumped by nearly 8%, making it the top-performing TSX stock for the day. This rally in NWC stock came a day after the retailer reported solid second-quarter (ended in July 2026) results and raised its quarterly dividend.
North West’s revenue in the latest quarter climbed 5.4% year over year to $682 million, while same-store sales jumped 6.7%. Its profitability also improved with the help of stronger sales and gross profit. Encouraged by these strong results, the company also raised its quarterly dividend by 2.4% to $0.42 per share, adding to investors’ optimism.
Southern Cross Gold Consolidated, Pan American Silver, Methanex, and AbraSilver Resource were also among the day’s top gainers on the Toronto Stock Exchange, with each climbing at least 3.3%.
Based on their daily trade volume, OpenText, Vermilion Energy, Pan American Silver, OceanaGold, and MDA Space were among the most heavily traded stocks.
TSX today
Commodity prices across the board were mixed in early trading on Thursday, pointing to a flat open for the resource-heavy main TSX index today.
While no major domestic economic releases are due, Canadian investors may want to keep an eye on the latest wholesale inflation report from the United States this morning.
In addition, Canada-U.S. trade tensions could remain in focus as Washington prepares new tariffs and import bans on Canadian goods. With talks yet to resume, further retaliation could pressure trade-sensitive stocks, while elevated crude oil prices amid renewed Middle East conflict could support energy shares.
On the corporate events side, the TSX-listed Descartes Systems and Empire Company are expected to release their latest quarterly earnings reports today.
Market movers on the TSX today
