By Fergal Smith
(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 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…
