TSX notches record high as Fed easing boosts liquidity prospects
TSX ends up 1.2% at 23,866.27
Technology advances 3%
Energy adds 1.9% as oil settles 1.5% higher
TD Bank names new CEO; stock rises 2.4%
Updates at market close
By Fergal Smith
Sept 19 (Reuters) -Canada's main stock index climbed to a record high on Thursday, led by technology and commodity-linked stocks, as investors bet that the Federal Reserve's outsized interest rate cut could spur a shift from cash into riskier assets globally.
The Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index .GSPTSE ended up 273.67 points, or 1.2%, at 23,866.27, eclipsing Monday's all-time closing high.
Wall Street also rallied after the Fed kicked off its easing cycle on Wednesday with a half-percentage-point reduction in rates, rather than a quarter-percentage-point move.
"Traders seem to have decided to take the rate cut news as positive for liquidity, overshadowing concerns that rate cuts could be a sign of a weakening economy," Colin Cieszynski, chief market strategist at SIA Wealth Management, said in a note.
Lower U.S. interest rates reduce the cost of borrowing U.S. dollars. The Fed's move could also encourage other central banks, such as the Bank of Canada, to cut rates at a faster pace, analysts say.
The technology sector rose 3%, helped by a gain of 5.6% for electronic equipment company Celestica Inc CLS.TO. Energy was up 1.9% as the price of oil CLc1 settled 1.5% higher at $71.95 a barrel.
Gold and copper prices also rose, leading to gains for metal mining stocks. The materials group, which includes metal miners and fertilizer companies, added 1.6%.
TD Bank CEO Bharat Masrani will retire next year and hand over the job to the head of its Canadian banking unit Ray Chun, as Canada's second-biggest lender braces for expected U.S. fines for weakness in its anti-money laundering protocols.
Shares of TD TD.TO rose 2.4%, while the financials sector ended 1.3% higher.
Reporting by Fergal Smith in Toronto and Nikhil Sharma in Bengaluru; Editing by Leroy Leo and Alistair Bell
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