Canadian Stocks Finish Lackluster Session Modestly Lower

(RTTNews) - Canadian stocks fluctuated over the course of the trading session on Thursday before eventually ending the day modestly lower.

The benchmark S&P/TSX Composite Index slipped 37.70 points or 0.2 percent to 20,292.62, giving back ground after closing higher for four straight sessions.

The choppy trading on Bay Street came as traders stuck to sidelines ahead of the release of the closely watched monthly U.S. jobs report on Friday.

Meanwhile, traders largely shrugged off a Commerce Department report showing U.S. consumer price growth accelerated in line with economist estimates in July.

Commercial real estate stocks saw significant weakness on the day, dragging the S&P/TSX Capped REIT Index down by 1.5 percent.

Utilities, consumer staples and industrial stocks also showed notable moves to downside over the course of the session.

On the other hand, technology and healthcare stocks moved sharply higher, with the S&P/TSX Capped IT Index and the S&P/TSX Capped Health Care Index surging by 2.8 percent and 2.3 percent, respectively.