Canadian Stocks Close Roughly After Late-Day Recovery

(RTTNews) - After seeing modest weakness throughout much of the session on Tuesday, Canadian stocks recovered going into the close to end the day roughly flat.

The S&P/TSX Composite Index inched up 3.76 points or less than a tenth of a percent to 17,036.62 after hitting a low of 16,975.65.

The roughly flat close came as traders continue to express some uncertainty about a U.S.-China trade deal but largely remain optimistic an agreement will eventually be reached.

A statement from China's Commerce Ministry revealed Chinese Vice Premier Liu He held a phone call with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin earlier today.

The statement said the two sides discussed how to resolve each other's core concerns, reached consensus on how to resolve related issues, and agreed to maintain communication on the remaining issues in the first phase of agreement negotiations.

Strength among technology stocks contributed to the late-day recovery, with the S&P/TSX Capped Information Technology Index jumping by 2.2 percent.

Consumer staples stocks also moved to the upside on the day, while weakness remained visible among energy and healthcare stocks.