By Adriano Marchese


Toronto-listed stocks were slightly lower mid-trading on Monday as investors await Wednesday's interest rate decision by the Bank of Canada.

According to FactSet, analysts expect the central bank to hold rates steady at 5% for the fifth consecutive announcement.

Most sectors in the session were lower, with outsized losses in process industries and health tech stocks, followed by communications. On the few gainers' side, tech and materials were in the lead.

At midday, Canada's S&P/TSX Composite Index edged 0.04% lower, to 21543.35, and the blue-chip S&P/TSX 60 fell by 0.10%, to 1299.41.

Frontier Lithium shares over 15% higher, at 1.06 Canadian dollars (78 U.S. cents), after the company said it has formed a joint venture with Japanese trading company Mitsubishi Corp. around Frontier's lithium project and planned chemicals conversion facility in Ontario.


Other market movers:

Pan American Silver shares were 3.5% higher, at C$18.08, after it said it plans to launch a share repurchase program to buy back up to 5% of its issued and outstanding common shares over the course of a one-year period.

SNC-Lavalin Group has secured a contract to provide general engineering services for the Georgia Department of Transportation. Shares were 2.3% higher, at C$52.27.


Write to Adriano Marchese at adriano.marchese@wsj.com


(END) Dow Jones Newswires

03-04-24 1220ET