(Updates prices, adds sector details)
April 9 (Reuters) – Canada’s main stock index fell on Friday, weighed by weak metal and oil prices, but was set to record a fifth consecutive week of gain on optimism around a faster economic recovery.
* The materials sector, which includes precious and base metals miners and fertilizer companies, lost 0.7% as gold futures fell 1.1% to $1,737.70 an ounce.
* At 9:45 a.m. ET (13:45 GMT), the Toronto Stock Exchange’s S&P/TSX composite index was down 54.51 points, or 0.28%, at 19,174.36.
* Canada added far more jobs than expected in March, and the unemployment rate dropped to its lowest point since before the pandemic, Statistics Canada data showed.
* The energy sector climbed 0.2% even as U.S. crude prices were down 0.6% a barrel and Brent crude slipped 0.6%.
* The financials sector gained 0.1%, while the industrials sector fell 0.1%.
* On the TSX, 67 issues were higher, while 154 issues declined for a 2.30-to-1 ratio to the downside, with 14.88 million shares traded.
* The largest percentage gainers on the TSX were Corus Entertainment, which jumped 6.5%, and Turquoise Hill Resources, up6.1%.
* New Gold fell 3.6%, the most on the TSX, while the second biggest decliner was First Majestic Silver, down 2.8%.
* The most heavily traded shares by volume were The Supreme Cannabis Co, which was flat, PhX Energy Services , down 0.7%, and Corus Entertainment, up 6.5%.
* The TSX posted 16 new 52-week highs and no new lows.
* Across all Canadian issues, there were 51 new 52-week highs and one new low, with total volume of 33.75 million shares. (Reporting by Shashank Nayar in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli)
