TORONTO, Jan.12 (Xinhua) -- Canadian stock main index rose Friday as lumber companies and gold miners gained.
The Toronto Stock Exchange's benchmark Standard & Poor's/TSX Composite Index rose 21.24 points, or 0.13 percent to close the day at 16,308.18.
The materials sector, which includes precious and base metals miners and fertilizer companies, gained 1.4 percent.
Among the most influential gainers were two of the world's largest gold producers, with Barrick Gold Corp rallying 2.8 percent to 18.88 Canadian dollars and Goldcorp Inc up 2.6 percent to 17.89 Canadian dollars.
Lumber companies, whose softwood products are the subject of a trade spat between Canada and the United States, also advanced, with Canfor Corp jumping 5.6 percent to 27.19 Canadian dollars and West Fraser Timber Co Ltd advancing 5.4 percent to 84.83 Canadian dollars.
Cannabis companies, which recently have surged as they race to prepare for Canada's legalization of recreational use, suffered a pullback. Aphria Inc plummeted 112.3 percent to 18.02 Canadian dollars and
Canopy Growth Corp dropped 13.9 percent to 32.35 Canadian dollars.
The energy sector edged up 0.3 percent, with Peyto Exploration and Development Corp rising 4.3 percent to 13.76 Canadian dollars.
