Canadian stocks endured a lower open as European and Asian equity markets tumbled after an unexpected narrowing in China's trade surplus fueled concerns about global economic growth.
The S&P/TSX Composite index fell back 25.96 points to begin the week's final session at 11,832.17
The Canadian dollar moved lower 0.38 cents to 100.53 cents U.S.
Among the stocks to watch, construction firm Stella-Jones Inc. reported a 21% rise in second-quarter profit on strong demand for railway ties.
Calfrac Well Services Ltd., the provider of specialized oilfield services, reported a second-quarter loss.
Oil and gas whiz Enerplus Corp. said its second-quarter profit fell 63% on weak natural gas prices, but it raised its average production forecast for the year.
Kinross Gold Corp.'s new chief executive laid out a strategy to cut costs on Thursday, but did not provide any clarity on expansion plans for the underperforming Tasiast mine in Mauritania.
Elsewhere, Osisko Mining Corp. reported a second-quarter profit on higher production at its flagship mine.
Business software company Open Text Corp. reported a quarterly adjusted profit that narrowly beat analysts' estimates, and said it was "cautiously optimistic" on Europe.
Energy services concern ShawCor Ltd. reported a 36% jump in quarterly profit on higher bookings and strong performance in its pipeline and pipe services segment.
Silver Wheaton Corp's second-quarter profit fell 5% as lower silver price offset increased sales.
Organic food processor SunOpta Inc said its second-quarter profit rose 84% on strong growth in the sales of packaged food and higher revenue from a subsidiary.
On the economic ledger, Statistics Canada reported this morning that employment in July declined by 30,000, the result of losses in part-time work. The unemployment rate rose 0.1 percentage points to 7.3%.
ON BAYSTREET
The TSX Venture Exchange settled 3.19 points to 1,189.86. The Nasdaq Canada index added 1.37 points to 352.01.
In all, eight of the 14 Toronto subgroups gained ground in the first hour, led by information technology, skyrocketing 2.5%, consumer discretionaries, up 0.9%, and gold, eking ahead 0.3%.
The half-dozen laggards were weighed mostly by health-care and energy stocks, each giving back 1.2%, and financials, off 0.2%.
ON WALLSTREET
U.S. stocks were under pressure Friday after disappointing economic data from China heightened fears about a slowdown in the world's second largest economy. Weak U.S. economic data also shook investors.
The Dow Jones industrial average began the day down 55.44 points to 13,109.80
The S&P 500 slid 5.68 points to 1,397.12. The Nasdaq subtracted 12.93 points to 3,005.71
Shares of J.C. Penney rallied Friday despite the department store chain posting a second-quarter loss of $147 million U.S., or 67 cents per share. Analysts were expecting a loss of just 25 cents U.S. per share. J.C. Penney also withdrew its guidance for the year.
Yahoo's stock was sharply lower after the Web portal company -- in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission -- said new CEO Marissa Mayer is reviewing business strategy.
The review could lead to changes in the restructuring plan the company has already started to implement, as well as the previously announced plan to return to shareholder the cash it generated from a deal to sell its stake in the Chinese internet company Alibaba.
British soccer team Manchester United priced shares of its initial public offering at $14 U.S. Thursday night, below its targeted range, and will begin trading on the New York Stock Exchange Friday under the symbol "MANU."
Chinese exports, which had been gaining strength for the past few months, rose just 1% from a year earlier in July, which was well below expectations and down from the 11.3% pace of increase in June. The 4.7% uptick in Chinese imports also fell short of forecasts.
Economically speaking, export prices fell 0.3% in July, while import prices declined 0.4%, according to a report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Import prices have been declining since April, and export prices have been falling since May.
A 2 p.m. ET, the Treasury budget report will give a snapshot of the nation's finances. Economists surveyed by Briefing.com expect it to show a deficit of $71 billion U.S. in July, higher than the $60-billion U.S. deficit in June.
The price on the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury moved up, pushing the yield down to 1.64% from 1.69% late Thursday. Treasury prices and yields move in opposite directions.
Oil for September delivery fell back $1.18 to $92.18 U.S. a barrel.
Gold futures for December delivery slipped $8.50 to $1,611.70 U.S. an ounce.
