XPost: can.general, can.jobs, can.politics   
   From: abc@123.cl   
      
   Markets higher on positive economic data   
      
      
   September 29, 2009   
      
      
   The Toronto Stock Exchange’s benchmark index, the S&P/TSX composite,   
   was up 35.69 points, or by 0.31 per cent, to 11,374.41 points in early   
   trading.   
      
   The Toronto Stock Exchange’s benchmark index, the S&P/TSX composite,   
   was up 35.69 points, or by 0.31 per cent, to 11,374.41 points in early   
   trading.   
   Photograph by: CNS, Canwest News Service   
      
   Markets opened higher Tuesday, as data continued to show improving   
   economic conditions, in U.S. housing markets and in Canadian consumer   
   confidence.   
      
   The Toronto Stock Exchange's benchmark index, the S&P/TSX composite,   
   was up 35.69 points, or by 0.31 per cent, to 11,374.41 points in early   
   trading.   
      
   The price of oil fell to $66.37 U.S. a barrel on weak demand, following   
   Monday's close of $66.84 U.S. a barrel. Inventory figures from the   
   American Petroleum Institute due later Tuesday and from the U.S.   
   Department of Energy Wednesday are expected to be weak.   
      
   Gold fell to $991.70 U.S. an ounce after its previous close of $994.10   
   U.S..   
      
   The Canadian dollar was trading around 91.71 cents U.S., down from   
   Monday's close of 91.95 cents U.S..   
      
   Canadian consumer confidence jumped to 90.9 in September — the highest   
   level since April 2008 — according to the Conference Board of Canada.   
   The figure is up for the seventh-straight month and compares to its   
   late-2008 low when the index plunged to just 67.7.   
      
   In the U.S., the Dow Jones industrial average was up 19.5 points, or   
   0.21 per cent, to 9,808.86 and the Nasdaq composite index rose 3.37   
   points, or 0.16 per cent, to 2,134.24.   
      
   The S&P/Case-Shiller composite index of housing prices in 20   
   metropolitan areas in the U.S. rose a much higher-than-expected 1.6 per   
   cent in July from the previous month. Market consensus was for a more   
   modest 0.5 per cent increase after a 1.4 per cent increase in June. The   
   10-city index gained 1.7 per cent in July.   
      
   "To the degree that the housing market was the culprit behind the   
   entire credit crunch, it is encouraging to see another monthly   
   improvement in the headline index. However, the U.S. housing market   
   still has a long way to go before fully cleansing itself," said Ian   
   Pollick, economics strategist for TD Securities.   
      
   Overseas markets were mixed Tuesday. The Office for National Statistics   
   reported Tuesday that Britain's economy shrank 0.6 per cent in the   
   second quarter of 2009, mainly due to improvements in the construction   
   industry. The figure was less than the 0.7-per-cent decline estimated   
   in August.   
      
   London's FTSE 100 index was up 15.05 points, or 0.29 per cent, to   
   5,150.65 at midday. Frankfurt's DAX was up 25.82 points, or 0.45 per   
   cent, to 5,710.49 and the Paris CAC gained 12.94 points, or 0.34 per   
   cent, to 3,812.06.   
      
   In Asia, official data in Japan released Tuesday showed consumer prices   
   fell 2.2 per cent in August compared with the same month a year   
   earlier, while core prices were down 2.4 per cent — the steepest   
   decline in 38 years. Tokyo's Nikkei stock average closed up 90.68   
   points, or 0.91 per cent, to 10,100.2. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index   
   closed up 424.76 points, or 2.06 per cent, to 21,013.17.   
      
   On Monday, the S&P/TSX rose 126.33 points, or 1.13 per cent, to   
   11,338.72. The Dow ended down 42.25 points, or 0.4 per cent, to   
   9,665.19 and the Nasdaq was at up 39.82 points, or 1.9 per cent, to   
   2,130.74.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)