The Toronto Stock Exchange is up 455 points at midday, partially recouping some of the 630 points lost over five straight days of losses.
The best performers are healthcare (+3.6%) and materials (+2.3%). Bausch Health (BHC.TO), which reported an earnings beat after markets closed on Wednesday, is near-10% higher, to $8.41.
Real Canadian GDP was up 0.2% in February, Statistics Canada reported today, and the advance reading for March and the first quarter, showed the economy is "far from running on all cylinders".
CIBC's Andrew Grantham said: "While growth in Q1 appears close to the Bank of Canada's MPR projection, the apparent stall again in March is a concern regarding momentum heading into the spring. Consumer spending appears to be slowing again, which is understandable given the squeeze from higher gasoline prices as well as a still sluggish labour market. We continue to believe that there's enough slack within the economy to keep core measures of inflation fairly muted, even as the impact of higher energy prices passes through in some areas, which will enable the BoC to leave interest rates on hold through 2026."
For its part National Bank said the latest data confirms the Canadian economy has held up in the first quarter despite headwinds. Despite the expected stagnation of the economy in March, GDP by industry shows growth of 1.7% on an annualized basis in the first quarter of the year. Not less than 12 out of 19 sectors posted growth during the quarter, it noted.
"Under normal circumstances, such growth would be considered decent, but it comes at a time when the population is shrinking, which is holding back the economy's potential GDP. Consequently, GDP per capita is on track to experience its strongest growth in 15 quarters (+2.1% annualized). This is good news for an economy with excess supply and an unemployment rate above its full-employment level," National Bank said.
"Unfortunately," it added, "past performance is no guarantee of future results regarding this renewed growth. The Canadian economy remains vulnerable due to tariff uncertainty and now, the global geopolitical situation. While higher commodity prices could benefit some industries, the potential upside should be offset by the negative impact on consumers, which are facing a jump in inflation. Weak real estate activity in major urban centers across the country (Toronto, Vancouver, among others) is causing a negative wealth effect, which represents another headwind for consumers."
In stocks, Bombardier (BBD-B.TO) shares jumped 17% to $279.86 after it reported an first-quarter earnings beat.