(Updates prices)
* TSX up 99.2 points, or 0.72 percent, to 13,916.52
* Nine of the TSX's 10 main groups were higher
TORONTO, May 20 (Reuters) - Canada's main stock index rose
on Friday as financials led broad-based gains, and energy shares
advanced as rainfall helped beat back a wildfire near major oil
sands deposits.
The index is on track to rise 1.3 percent for the week,
while it has rebounded more than 20 percent from an almost
3-1/2-year low in January. On Tuesday, it touched a nearly
seven-month high of 13,981.23.
The most influential movers on the index included Bank of
Nova Scotia BNS.TO , which rose 1.0 percent to C$63.37, and
Toronto-Dominion Bank TD.TO , which advanced 0.6 percent to
C$56.59, while the overall financials group gained 0.7 percent.
Units in newly listed real estate investment trust Manulife
US REIT MANU.SI opened in Singapore slightly below their offer
price. The sponsor of the REIT is a part of life insurer
Manulife Financial Corp MFC.TO . In Toronto, Manulife's shares
rose 1.5 percent to C$18.68.
Energy stocks rose 0.5 percent even though U.S. crude CLc1
prices were down 1.0 percent at $47.67 a barrel.
Firefighters battling a massive blaze in Canada's energy
heartland could see a second day of rainfall and winds, expected
to beat flames back from key oil sands facilities.
Imperial Oil IMO.TO said it had restarted limited
operations at its Kearl site, which had been unaffected by the
fires. Its shares rose 0.6 percent to C$40.94.
Industrial stocks rose 0.8 percent, including gains for
railway stocks.
At 10:48 a.m. EDT (1448 GMT), the Toronto Stock Exchange's
S&P/TSX composite index .GSPTSE rose 99.2 points, or 0.72
percent, to 13,916.52. Nine of the index's 10 main groups were
higher.
The materials group, which includes precious and base metals
miners and fertilizer companies, lost 0.2 percent.
It included losses for some major mining stocks as gold
remained on track for its biggest weekly slide in nearly two
months on growing expectations for an increase in U.S. interest
rates as soon as next month.
Domestic economic data was mixed. Weaker-than-expected
retail sales data underscored expectations that Canada's economy
slowed heading into the second quarter, but core inflation rose
to 2.2 percent.