Canadian consumers expected to remain cautious as interest rates set to rise...
Once consumers pay down debt and spend more money on food and gas, there isn't much left for anything else.
• TSX +74.54 to 13,972.02 Mining and energy stocks pushed the Toronto stock market higher Thursday as a weak U.S. dollar helped push up prices for oil and metals.
• DOW +52.45 to 12,505.99
• Dollar -.05c to 104.85c USD following data showing that Canadian retail sales rose by 0.4 per cent in February to $37.3 billion, which was slightly below economist expectations of a 0.6 per cent rise.
• Oil +$.84 to $112.29USD per barrel
• Gold +$4.90 to $1503.80 per ounce hits another new record high
• Canadian 5 yr bond yields markets -.02bps to 2.70. The spread (based on the NEW MERIX 5 yr rate published rate of 4.34%) is well over the top of the comfort zone at 1.64.
(provided by Barb Morgan, DBD Ontario Southwest)
