Rail merger news lifts industrial stocks to record high - Yahoo Canada Finance

By Fergal Smith

TORONTO (Reuters) - Canada's main stock index rose to a record high on Wednesday as railroad stocks rallied and investors continued to welcome the Federal Reserve's cautious approach to reducing stimulus.

The Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index ended up 106.64 points, or 0.5%, at 20,689.58, a record closing level.

"We are getting broad market participation not just in Canada but across North America," said Kevin Headland, senior investment strategist at Manulife Investment Management.

"It seems like the Federal Reserve is going to remain cautious, which I think the market appreciates."

Fed Chair Jerome Powell told the central bank's annual Jackson Hole symposium on Friday that tapering of stimulus could start this year but its timing should not be construed as a signal for when interest rates will begin to rise.

The industrials index rose 2.2% to a record high, with Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd up 5.1% and Canadian National Railway Co advancing 3.8% following the rejection of a voting trust structure that would have allowed the latter to buy Kansas City Southern for $29 billion.

The two Canadian companies are competing to buy the U.S. railroad and Canadian Pacific initially fell 4.6% on Tuesday as investors priced in a greater likelihood of it having to make good on its own $25 billion offer for Kansas City.

But some investors expect the deal would be good for Canadian Pacific.

"We're seeing the continuation of the short cover from Canadian National today and more people picking up that the Canadian Pacific sell-off yesterday was overdone and it's probably going to be good news if they can win this deal," said Gregory Taylor, portfolio manager at Purpose Investments.

The information technology group added to recent gains, rising 1.3%, while the heavily weighted financial services sector snapped a four-day losing streak, ending 0.4% higher.

(Reporting by Fergal Smith; Additional reporting by Amal S and Sagarika Jaisinghani in Bengaluru; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)

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Rail merger news lifts industrial stocks to record high - Yahoo Canada Finance
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