MONEY IN BRIEF

Currencies

These are indicative wholesale rates for foreign currency provided by the Bank of Canada on Wednesday. Quotations in Canadian funds. Australia dollar Brazil real China renminbi Euro Hong Kong dollar India rupee Indonesia rupiah Japan yen Malaysia ringgit Mexico peso N.Z. dollar Norway krone Peruvian new sol

Russia rouble

Saudi riyal Singapore dollar

South Africa rand

South Korean won Sweden krona Switzerland franc Taiwanese dollar Thailand baht Turkey lira U.K. pound U.S. dollar

Vietnam dong 1.0207 0.3971 0.2049 1.6010 0.1651 0.01996 0.000094 0.01217 0.3314 0.06966 0.9489 0.1674 0.3971 0.02265 0.3451 0.9887 0.10990 0.001216 0.1582 1.3686 0.04430 0.04158 0.3337 1.8074 1.2944 0.000057

Financial highlights

Highlights at the close Wednesday at world financial market trading.

Stocks:

S&P/TSX Composite Index – 15,653.61, up 6.47 points Dow – 24,758.12, down 248.91 points

S&P 500 – 2,749.48, down 15.83 points

Nasdaq – 7,496.81, down 14.20 points

Currencies:

Cdn – 77.26 cents US, down 0.19 of a cent

Pound – C$1.8074, up 0.43 of a cent

Euro – C$1.6010, up 0.22 of a cent

Euro – US$1.2369, down 0.13 of a cent

Oil futures:

US$60.96, up 25 cents (April contract)

Gold futures:

US$1,325.60 per oz., down $1.50

(April contract)

Canadian Fine Silver Handy and Harman: $22.324, up 9.9 cents $717.72 kg., up $3.19

The markets today

TORONTO (CP) — Canada’s main stock index closed slightly higher Wednesday, while the Canadian dollar continued its slide and U.S. markets were mixed with ongoing uncertainty from metal tariffs. Concerns in the U.S. of the implications of the global tariffs weighed on industrials, with companies like Boeing pulling down the Dow, said Norman Levine, managing director of Portfolio Management Corp. It marks the third down day for U.S. markets, continuing a correction started last month, he said.

In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 248.91 points to 24,758.12. The S&P 500 index was down 15.83 points to 2,749.48 and the Nasdaq composite index was down 14.20 points to 7,496.81. The S&P/TSX composite index closed up 6.47 points to 15,653.61, helped by base metals and materials, and is insulated from the U.S. slide because it hasn’t had the same gains recently, said Levine. “Because the Canadian market has been such an underperformer, it doesn’t have the same correction necessity that the US market does.”

The Canadian dollar closed at 77.26 cents US, down 0.19 of a US cent, adding to the half-cent slip Tuesday after Bank of Canada governor Stephen Poloz signalled a more gradual pace of rate hikes going forward.