Canadian consumers splurge in September and October, lifting retail sales. The big one: How a major catastrophe could wipe out Canada’s $232-billion insurance industry. Market close: TSX ends slightly down as U.S. markets mixed. Canada’s main stock index closed down slightly Friday while U.S. markets were mixed on a low-volume day following the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday. In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average closed up 117.12 points at 35,390.15. The S&P 500 index was up 2.
72 points at 4,559.34, while the Nasdaq composite was down 15 points at 14,250.85. The January crude oil contract was down US$1.56 from Wednesday’s close at US$75.54 per barrel and the January natural gas contract was down three cents at US$3 per mmBTU. The December gold contract was up US$10.20 at US$2,003 an ounce and the December copper contract was up three cents at US$3.79 a pound. Pumpjacks draw out oil and gas from wells near Calgary. Canada’s oil and gas well drilling sector says it expects modest growth in 2024