(Adds portfolio manager comment, oil prices; updates prices to
close)
* TSX ends up 89.93 points, or 0.66 percent, at 13,671.35
* Six of the TSX's 10 main groups close higher
By Alastair Sharp
TORONTO, April 13 (Reuters) - Canada's main stock index on
Wednesday notched its highest close since November as financial
and industrial shares rallied on surprisingly upbeat China trade
data and unexpectedly strong earnings from U.S. bank JPMorgan (NYSE:JPM).
"It's not the apocalypse, it's not doom and gloom," said
Barry Schwartz, a portfolio manager at Baskin Financial
Services. "And if it's not doom and gloom you can come out of
the bunker and the first thing you do is take a sigh of relief
and then you want to make money."
The Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index
.GSPTSE ended up 89.93 points, or 0.66 percent, at 13,671.35.
It last closed above that level on Nov. 3.
The most influential movers in the index included Royal Bank
of Canada RY.TO , which rose 1.4 percent to C$76.77, and Bank
of Nova Scotia BNS.TO , which advanced 1.8 percent to C$63.65.
Schwartz said Canadian bank stocks could rise further, given
that the sector's valuation has fallen sharply even though
earnings rose about 6 percent last year.
Financial shares gained 1.2 percent, while industrials rose
2.4 percent and consumer discretionary stocks were up 1 percent.
"If oil continues to rally and the Canadian economy
continues to benefit from improving U.S. data and Asian data,
from China and overseas, then of course the TSX is dramatically
undervalued," Schwartz added.
Oil prices jumped to a more than four-month high on Tuesday
on hopes major producers could reach a deal to curb output.
Prices slipped on Wednesday after comments from Russia's energy
minister reignited doubts that the producers would reach a deal
in a meeting scheduled for Sunday in Doha. O/R
China's exports in March returned to growth for the first
time in nine months, adding to further signs of stabilization in
the world's second-largest economy.
Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd CP.TO jumped 4.3 percent to
C$191.81, adding to gains since the company walked away from a
hostile bid for a rival on Monday.
Canada's heavyweight energy group ended slightly lower as
oil prices pared recent sharp gains.
Brent crude LCOc1 settled down 51 cents at $44.18 per
barrel, while U.S. crude CLc1 settled down 41 cents at $41.76.
The materials group, which includes precious and base metals
miners and fertilizer companies, lost 0.7 percent.
Goldcorp Inc G.TO fell 2.3 percent to C$22.13 and Barrick
Gold Corp ABX.TO lost 1.5 percent at C$20.56 as gold XAU=
slipped. GOL/