Canadian stocks sagged leading up to lunch break on Friday, as weakness in energy stocks and fears of tighter lockdowns amid rising coronavirus cases globally outweighed optimism around a $1.9-trillion U.S. stimulus plan.

The TSX remained behind 48.45 points midday to 17,909.64.

The Canadian dollar fell 0.52 cents at 78.54 cents U.S.

Ballard Power Systems fell $3.50, or 8%, the most on the TSX, to $40.17. The second biggest decliner was Osisko Mining, down 22 cents, or 6.3%, to $3.25.

The largest percentage gainers on the TSX were Blackberry Limited, which jumped $1.78, or 15.5% to $13.24, its highest point in more than two years, and Aphria, which rose $1.20, or 7.9%, to $16.45, extending its prior session’s gains after an upbeat quarterly earnings.

On the economic beat, the Canadian Real Estate Association reported national home sales rose 7.2% on a month-over-month basis in December.

ON BAYSTREET

The TSX Venture … Read the rest

A small Washington-based company came to an agreement to grant an exclusive perpetual technology license to Baristas Coffee Co Inc. (OTC-PNK:BCCI). ReelTime Media (OTC-PNK:RLTR) announced the technology/software license and development agreement this morning, where in exchange for the global perpetual exclusive license from ReelTime for the Munchie Magic concept and convenience store derivative Virtual Restaurants, ReelTime will receive a per transaction license fee of $0.35 in perpetuity in conjunction with the terms of the agreement beginning on Jan. 1, 2021, according to the release.

Reeltime Rentals Inc. develops, produces, and distributes Virtual Reality content and technologies. The company has an end to end production, editing, and distribution capabilities for internal and external projects. It anticipates distributing content made by third parties over its distribution network through licensing, acquisition and joint ventures.

The company engages in developing and producing an end to end state of the art Virtual Reality suite and … Read the rest

Thanks in part to accelerating electric vehicle (EV) demand, the graphite market could be worth up to $21.6 billion by 2027 from $14.3 billion in 2019. However, that may only be the start. That’s because by 2030, the world could see 125 million EVs on the road, which means we’ll need a good deal of graphite, according to Mining News North. “This is because graphite serves as the anode in the lithium-ion batteries that power these EVs, not to mention the growing number of portable tools and electronics that use the same type of battery.” Some of the top companies that depend on strong graphite supply include Gratomic Inc. (TSXV:GRAT) (OTCQB:CBULF), Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA), Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), Panasonic Corporation (OTC:PCRFY), and Nio Inc. (NYSE:NIO).

Gratomic Inc. (TSXV:GRAT)(OTCQB:CBULF) BREAKING NEWS: Gratomic Inc. wishes to announce that it has upgraded its pre purchase agreement with technology company, TODAQ Star Program Phase 1 … Read the rest

Stocks dropped on Monday as investors assessed equity valuations and the outlook for more COVID-19 relief stimulus, along with ongoing political turmoil.

The Dow Jones Industrials retreated 85.57 points to 31,012.40.

The S&P 500 moved downward 13.91 points from Friday’s all-time high to 3,810.77

The NASDAQ shed 77.64 points to 13,124.34, from Friday’s all-time high.

The stock market is coming off a solid week to start 2021 as investors looked past a violent siege of the Capitol and focused on the prospect for additional fiscal stimulus after a Democratic sweep of Congress. The S&P 500 climbed for four days straight to a record with a 1.8% gain last week. The Dow picked up 1.6%, and the tech-heavy NASDAQ gained 2.4% in the prior week, also reaching all-time highs.

Yet the rally in the face of political upheaval and a pandemic has raised concerns that investors have grown too exuberant. Shares … Read the rest

Stocks in Toronto washed off the red ink in which they were bathing much of Friday, and managed a finish in the plus category by the close, adding to Thursday’s all-time high.

The TSX gained points to conclude Friday at 18,042.07. On the week, the index experienced a gain of 608 points, or 3.5%,

The Canadian dollar faded 0.06 cents to 78.78 cents U.S.

Techs led the brigade of winning stocks, with BlackBerry up 57 cents, or 6.4%, to $9.52, while Descartes Group took on $3.25, or 4.4%, to $77.39.

Among utilities, Boralex gained $2.91, or 5.6%, to $55.31, while Northland Power surged $2.63, or 5.5%, to $50.80.

Industrials moved higher, most notably, Mullen Group, traveling 58 cents, or 5.4%., higher to $11.43.

Golds weighed things down, as Eldorado Gold faded $1.36, or 7.5%, to $16.69, while Lundin Gold dropped 99 cents, or 8.4%, to $10.79.

Among materials, Silvercorp Metals … Read the rest

Monday

U.S.

Featured Earnings

AZZ Inc. (NYSE: AZZ) (Q3) EPS projected at 58 cents, compared to 84 cents in the prior-year quarter.

Commercial Metals Company (NYSE: CMC) (Q1) EPS projected at 56 cents, compared to 73 cents in the prior-year quarter.

SYNNEX Corporation (NYSE: SNX) (Q4) EPS projected at $3.83, compared to $4.26 in the prior-year quarter.

Tuesday

U.S.

Economic lookahead

NFIB small-business index (Dec.)

Job openings (Nov.)

Featured Earnings

Concrete Pumping Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: BBCP) (Q4) EPS projected at five cents, compared to breakeven in the prior-year quarter.

KB Home (NYSE: KBH) (Q4) EPS projected at 87 cents, compared to $1.31 in the prior-year quarter.

Canada

Featured Earnings

Corus Entertainment Inc. (T.CJR.B) (Q1) EPS projected at 29 cents, compared to 16 cents in the prior-year quarter.

EXFO Inc. (T.EXF) (Q1) EPS projected at four cents, compared to one cent in the prior-year quarter.

Organigram Holdings Inc. (T.OGI) (Q1) EPS

Equities in Canada’s largest centre were practically unchanged at the start of trading on Friday, weighed by materials sector as gold prices took a hit and more job cuts for the first time since April due to curbs placed to stem a second wave of COVID-19 cases.

The TSX nicked up 2.29 points to open Friday at 18,029.86.

The Canadian dollar faded 0.09 cents to 78.75 cents U.S.

RBC raised the target price on Linamar to $70.00 from $60.00.

Canaccord Genuity raised the target price on Lundin Mining to $13 from $10.50.

Among the exceptions on this flat day was Cascades Inc., which jumped $1.16, or 7.9%, to $15.93, after RBC raised its price target to $18 from $17, and Boralex, which rose $1.72, or 3.3%, to $54.12.

Silvercorp Metals fell 63 cents, or 7.4%, the most on the TSX, to $7.89. The second biggest decliner was Fortuna Silver Mines, … Read the rest

The Canadian dollar rally ended abruptly when European markets opened for business. Traders were spooked by Wednesday’s protest at the U.S. Capitol.

A semblance of calm returned to markets after Trump said “Even though I totally disagree with the outcome of the election, and the facts bear me out, nevertheless there will be an orderly transition on January 20th”.

Nevertheless, that day is still two weeks away, and a lot can happen.

Stock markets were mostly unconcerned. The Nikkei 225 rose 1.6% even after 7,000 new coronavirus cases were reported, and Prime Minister Suga declared a state of emergency for Tokyo and the surrounding area. European equity indexes are higher, except for the U.K. FTSE 100, which is giving back some of yesterdays gains. Wall Street is set to open in positive territory.

EUR/USD retreated from $1.2344 to $1.2246 in an abundance of caution due to U.S. politics. The fall … Read the rest

Psychedelics are on the cusp of a major boom, and could soon go mainstream. With US FDA support, clinical research studies, and legalization in Oregon, it may only be a matter of time before other states begin to join in. In fact, there are reports California could decriminalize it, too. According to Daily Democrat, “Both a revived ballot measure and promised legislation from State Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, could open access to hallucinogenic mushrooms and perhaps other psychedelics in the Golden State within the next two years.” In addition, over the last few years, research has offered proof psychedelics like psilocybin can be useful in the treatment of depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, addiction, and PTSD. That being the case, it wouldn’t be a surprise if big pharmaceutical companies jumped in, too. With excitement gaining momentum, some of the top companies to watch include CYBIN Inc. (NEO:CYBN), Mind Medicine Inc. … Read the rest

Stocks rose on Tuesday, recovering some of their sharp losses from the previous session, as traders turned their focus to two key elections in Georgia.

The Dow Jones Industrials lost 22.42 points to open Tuesday at 30,201.47.

Monday’s session marked the first negative start to a year for the Dow since 2016. Monday’s was the biggest one-day selloff since Oct. 28 for the Dow and S&P 500, while the NASDAQ had its worst daily performance since Dec. 9.

The S&P 500 gained 4.42 points to 3,705.07.

The NASDAQ regained 61.97 points to 12,760.42.

Boeing popped 2.6% to lead the Dow higher. Chevron climbed 1.7% after the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and Russia reportedly reached a deal on an oil production plan. The S&P 500 energy sector advanced 2.9% as West Texas Intermediate futures jumped 4.4%.

Stocks also got a boost after the release of better-than-expected U.S. manufacturing data. … Read the rest