By Adriano Marchese


Toronto-listed stocks were firmly lower midday Thursday. Most sectors were in the red, with only tech stocks showing any meaningful gains. Retail and health tech stocks followed. The biggest laggards were the materials, consumer durables and energy sectors.

For the broader economy, Canadian building permits fell 3.1% in October following an 11.5% gain in the prior month, but the total value of permits still ranked among one of the highest on record. Meanwhile, the net worth of Canadian households rose in the July-to-September period, marking the seventh increase in the last eight quarters, buoyed by stock market gains.

Canada's S&P/TSX Composite Index fell 0.7% to 25488.52 and the blue-chip S&P/TSX 60 retreated by 0.6% to 1530.19.

Shares in Empire rose 6.9% to 45.99 Canadian dollars ($32.48) after the Canadian grocer reported better-than-expected adjusted results in its second fiscal quarter, showing signs of an improving consumer environment.


Other market movers:

Transat A.T. shares rose 8.2% to C$2.11 after reporting higher traffic, financial compensation and lower costs helped lift profit and revenue in its fiscal fourth quarter, beating expectations for the period.

Transcontinental shares were 3.1% higher at C$18.08, and reached a 52-week high earlier in the session, after the company reported better-than-expected adjusted results, a decline in its debt ratio and an increase to its share-repurchase program.


Write to Adriano Marchese at adriano.marchese@wsj.com


(END) Dow Jones Newswires

12-12-24 1221ET