Canada Stocks: TSX subdued as healthcare, financials drag; energy gains

Bausch Health Companies

19/02/2026 15:40

TSX down 0.06%

Bausch Health falls 4.1%

Cenovus Energy rises 4.2%

Updated throughout, adds details, and analyst comments

By Utkarsh    Hathi

Feb 19 (Reuters) - Canada's main stock index was subdued on Thursday, as declines in healthcare and financial shares outweighed gains in energy stocks.

The S&P/TSX Composite Index .GSPTSE was down 0.06% at 33,368.79 points, as of 10:15 a.m. ET.

Healthcare shares .GSPTTHC led sectoral declines with a 1.8% fall, as specialty pharma firm Bausch Health BHC.TO slid 4.1% after reporting a quarterly loss.

Wall Street's main indexes were down on Thursday, with heavyweight technology stocks slipping after recent gains.

Tech stocks .SPTTTK on the TSX fell 1.4%, retreating from strong gains in the previous session.

Heavyweight financials .SPTTFS shed 0.8%.

Energy shares .SPTTEN gained 2%, the most on the TSX, as oil prices reached a near six-month high on concerns about potential military conflict between the U.S. and Iran as both stepped up military activity in the oil-producing Middle East.

Spot gold XAU= and silver XAG= eased from gains early in the day as investors monitored U.S.-Iran tensions, while a drop in U.S. jobless claims signaled labor-market stability ahead of inflation data later this week. GOL/

"There's a lot of nervousness in the market right now. Everyone's trying to figure out what's going on in the Middle East and if something's going to happen with Iran once the Olympics are over," said Greg Taylor, chief investment officer at Purpose Investments.

The gold sector .SPTTGD was up 0.1%, while the broader materials sector .GSPTTMT, which includes metal miners, was down 0.1% as copper prices fell sharply after recent gains.

Among individual movers, oil sands firm Cenovus Energy CVE.TO gained 4.2% after reporting fourth-quarter profit that beat estimates on higher production, while miner B2Gold BTO.TO slumped 8.5% after missing quarterly revenue estimates.

 (Reporting by Utkarsh Tushar Hathi; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri)

 ((utkarshtushar.hathi@thomsonreuters.com))