By Fergal Smith
(Reuters) -Canada’s main stock index ended lower for a second straight day on Thursday as investors grew cautious ahead of a key U.S. employment report, but gains for energy shares on soaring oil prices helped contain the market’s decline.
The Toronto Stock Exchange’s S&P/TSX composite index ended down 33.05 points, or 0.1%, at 23,968.50, adding to a modest pullback since notching a record closing high on Tuesday.
“We’ve seen investors taking a pause to consider things,” said Michael Sprung, president of Sprung Investment Management. “We’re waiting for some employment numbers tomorrow … the market is waiting to see where that shakes out.”
U.S. nonfarm payrolls data, due on Friday, is expected to show the American economy added 140,000 jobs in September. Investors are anxious for more data on the labor market after the Federal Reserve last month cut its benchmark interest rate by an unusually large 50 basis…
