TSX Closer: Index Closes Higher as Technology, Healthcare and Base Metals Lead Gains

04:24 PM EDT, 09/22/2026 (MT Newswires) -- The S&P/TSX Composite Index closed higher on Tuesday as gains in technology, health care, and base metals outweighed weakness in the financial and telecom sectors, while investors assessed easing concerns over Middle East oil supply disruptions. The index closed up 326.21 points, or 0.9%, at 36,335.61 with mixed sectors. Information technology, health care and base metals led advancers, up 2.9% each, followed by industrials and utilities that closed up 1.6% and 0.4%, respectively. Shares in telecom and financial closed down 1.4% and 0.8%, respectively. Shares in the energy sector dipped 0.7%. The Battery Metals Index, which includes companies listed both on the TSX and TSX Venture Exchange, jumped 1.1%. In commodities, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) and Brent crude prices fell as improving Middle East supply prospects eased concerns over potential disruptions, with Saudi Arabia restarting its East-West Pipeline and increasing shipments through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran reportedly also signaled that the key waterway could reopen if the US eases military pressure. October WTI crude oil contract settled down $1.19, or 1.2%, at $94.59 per barrel, while November Brent oil was last seen down $1.60, or 1.6%, at $98.74 per barrel. Meanwhile, December Comex gold futures jumped 0.5%, or $20.80, to $4,404.70 per ounce at last look. In currencies, the US dollar edged up 0.2% against the Canadian dollar, with the USD/CAD at 1.4063 at last look. In the financial sector, Canada's "Big-Six" banks are cooperating to develop a Canadian-dollar based digital-money solution, starting with tokenized deposits, the institutions said on Tuesday. The first phase of the project will look at moving tokenized deposits efficiently across Canadian financial institutions, a statement added. It is expected that other deposit-taking institutions will be included in this project down the road. The participants are Bank of Montreal (BMO.TO), Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CM.TO), National Bank of Canada (NA.TO), Royal Bank of Canada (RY.TO), The Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS.TO), and TD Bank Group (TD.TO). In economics news, BMO Capital markets said Canadian capital spending has recently started to pick up after recording virtually no growth in the decade through the end of 2024, amid a more favorable backdrop from Ottawa, including last week's investment summit and the new Productivity Mega Deduction. The broadest measure of capital spending, which includes business investment, housing and public infrastructure, has improved recently, though it remains sluggish and has significant room to recover, said Douglas Porter, Chief Economist at BMO.