georgemiller
Publish Date: Fri, 16 May 2025, 11:21 AM

- TSX ends up 0.3% at 25,971.93
- Eclipses Thursday's record high
- MEG Energy biggest gainer after takeover bid
- Investors remain cautious
May 16 (Reuters) - Canada's main stock index hit a record high on Friday, closing firmer for a sixth consecutive week, as worries about a global trade war eased after the U.S.-China tariff truce over the weekend.
The Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index (.GSPTSE) , opens new tab closed up 74.45 points, or 0.29%, at 25,971.93. The index touched 25,992.89 on Friday, topping Thursday's record high.
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For the week, the index gained 2.5%.
The index's gains tracked those of Wall Street's main indexes, which rose for the fifth , opens new tab straight day.
This week, the 90-day pause in the US-China tariff dispute, along with the recent US-UK trade agreement, sparked optimism for future US trade deals and helped ease recession concerns.
"There's a lot of optimism right now. The markets are being driven by momentum," said Michael Dehal, senior portfolio manager at Dehal Investment Partners of Raymond James.
"But when you look at the sentiment of how people feel, it's not really matching the momentum. I think people are still a bit cautious, still kind of questioning this rally."
Data showed the U.S. consumer sentiment slumped further in May, while one-year inflation expectations surged.
On Friday, U.S. President Donald Trump said U.S. officials will send letters to countries in the coming weeks, outlining the costs associated with doing business in the United States, though he did not provide additional details.
On TSX, MEG Energy's (MEG.TO) , opens new tab surged 18.7%, making it the day's biggest gainer, after rival Strathcona(SCR.TO) , opens new tab announced plans to launch a C$5.93 billion ($4.24 billion) hostile takeover bid of the Canadian oil and gas producer. The energy index (.SPTTEN) , opens new tab gained 0.54%.
Healthcare stocks (.GSPTTHC) , opens new tab gained 3%, powered by a 9.7% gain in cannabis company Tilray Brands .
($1 = 1.3971 Canadian dollars)
https://www.reuters.com/markets/europe/tsx-futures-rise-continued-trade-optimism-2025-05-16/