Canadian Stocks Close Roughly Flat After Lackluster Session

(RTTNews) - After failing to sustain an early move to the upside, Canadian stocks showed a lack of direction over the course of the trading session on Wednesday.

The benchmark S&P/TSX Composite Index eventually ended the session down 15.37 points or 0.1 percent at 15,626.73.

The choppy trading on the day came as traders waited for more concrete developments regarding another potential U.S. government shutdown and U.S.-China trade talks.

Despite the lackluster close by the broader markets, energy stocks showed a strong upward move along with the price of crude oil.

Crude for March delivery advanced $0.80 to $53.90 a barrel as traders continued to react to the cut in production revealed by Saudi Arabia.

Healthcare stocks also showed a significant move to the upside on the day, while weakness was visible among information technology, materials, and consumer staples stocks.