TSX Ends Weak Again

(RTTNews) - Save for a very brief while early on in the session, the Canadian market stayed in negative territory on Monday with investors looking ahead to the Federal Reserve's monetary policy, and largely staying cautious amid worries about rising number of cases of Omicron variant of the coronavirus.

The European Central Bank, the Bank of England and the Bank of Japan are also scheduled to announce their monetary policies this week.

The benchmark S&P/TSX Composite Index, which plunged to a low of 20,671.98 around noon, ended the session with a loss of 142.17 points or 0.68% at 20,748.45, drifting lower for a fourth straight session.

Energy stocks tumbled as oil prices dropped amid concerns about outlook for energy demand. The Capped Energy Index drifted down 2.86%. Enerplus Corp (ERF.TO) ended lower by 5.4%. Crescent Point Energy (CPG.TO), Imperial Oil (IMO.TO), Vermilion Energy (VET.TO), Canadian Natural Resources (CNQ.TO) lost 3.45 to 4.3%.

The Capped Industrials Index shed 1.38%. Westport Fuel Systems (WPRT.TO), Air Canada (AC.TO), Tfi International (TFII.TO), New Flyer Industries (NFI.TO), Canadian National Railway (CNR.TO) and Canadian Pacific Railway (CP.TO) lost 2.2 to 3.3%.

The Healthcare Index declined 1.3%. Tilray Inc (TLRY.TO) ended 3.1% down and Organigram Holdings (OGI.TO) lost 2.8%, while Canopy Growth Corp (WEED.TO) ended lower by nearly 2%.

The Information Technology Index lost 1.25%. Hut 8 Mining Corp (HUT.TO) declined 6.4% and Shopify Inc (SHOP.TO) ended 3.5% down, while Haivision Systems (HAI.TO), Evertz Technologies (ET.TO) and Kinaxis Inc (KXS.TO) declined nearly 2.5%.

Turquoise Hill Resources (TRQ.TO) soared nearly 14%. Agnico Eagle Mines (AEM.TO) gained more than 3%. Kirkland Lake Gold (KL.TO), Franco-Nevada Corporation (FNV.TO), Dollarama Inc (DOL.TO), CGI Inc (GIB.A.TO), Metro Inc (MRU.TO), Premium Brands Holdings (PBH.TO) gained 1 to 2.7%.