Canada: TSX Rises on Mining and Major Banks Gains.

The S&P/TSX Composite Index rose nearly 1%, supported by gains in mining and banking stocks. Gold prices held their advanced after the US signaled it would buy back more Treasury notes and bonds in the secondary market. Agnico Eagle gained more than 1.5%, Barrick added about 2%, and WPM rose over 3%. Major banks also advanced following weak retail sales estimates, softer consumer spending reinforced expectations that the Bank of Canada will keep interest rates unchanged next week. RBC, TD Bank and BMO gained about 1% each. Meanwhile, Fairfax Financial (+0.7%), a frontrunner to acquire the Indian government’s stake in IDBI Bank, is set to be given up to two years to consolidate its Indian banking holdings, potentially easing the acquisition process. Retailers traded mostly lower, with Dollarama losing more than 0.5%.