TSX up 82 Points With All Sectors Higher

The TSX is up 82 points at midday with all sectors higher. The biggest gainers are miners (+2.3%) and healthcare (+1%). In commodities, oil prices rose early on Friday on expectations for higher demand and tight supply, even as hopes for stimulus from lower US interest rates further dimmed after the Fed's preferred inflation gauge came in hot for the third consecutive month as widely expected. Gold prices climbed for a second day as treasury yields fell after a key US inflation measure rose above expectations. But natural gas prices dropped to a four-year low on a larger than expected rise in storage last week, low demand during the spring shoulder season and weak exports In terms of key economic data, BMO Economics, in looking at today's U.S. Personal Income & Consumption data for March said the bottom line is that the surprising strength of the US labor market despite rapid interest rate hikes is allowing consumers to keep spending, although households are also relying on savings to support spending with the saving rate falling to 3.2% from 3.6%. "The offshoot is that interest rates are likely going to stay higher for longer," it said.