TSX falls on weakness in energy, materials stocks

Canada's main stock index fell on the last trading day of the year on Thursday, weighed down by weakness in materials and energy stocks, while investors focused on fading prospects for bigger US stimulus checks.

The materials sector, which includes precious and base metals miners and fertilizer companies, slipped 0.7%, while the energy sector was down 0.4% as US crude and Brent crude both lost 0.7% a barrel

At 09:37 a.m. ET (14:37 GMT), the Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index was down 62.3 points, or 0.36%, at 17,483.51.

The TSX is set to record a 2.46% gain in 2020, compared with a 19.1% jump last year, as a surge in coronavirus cases and strict restrictions weighed.

Pot producers Cronos Group Inc and Aurora Cannabis were the biggest decliners in the index on Thursday, falling 2.3% and 2.2%, respectively.

The financials sector slipped 0.2% and the industrials sector fell 0.4%.

On the TSX, 34 issues were higher, while 178 issues declined for a 5.24-to-1 ratio to the downside, with 11.39 million shares traded.

The largest percentage gainers on the TSX were WPT Industrial Real Estate Investment Trust, which jumped 1.1%, and Imperial Oil Ltd, which rose 1.1%.

The most heavily traded shares by volume were Power Corp of Canada, Bank of Nova Scotia, and TC Energy Corp.

The TSX posted three new 52-week highs and no new lows.

Across all Canadian issues there were 23 new 52-week highs and one new low, with total volume of 23.74 million shares.