Canada's main stock index rose slightly on Wednesday as gains for financial stocks and grocery operator Empire Co Ltd were offset by slips among gold miners and other resource stocks. The most influential movers on the index were the big financial stocks, which rose as investors increased their bets that the country's central bank may hike interest rates as soon as next month.
Royal Bank of Canada was up 0.5 percent at C$94.54 and Bank of Montreal gained 0.8 percent to C$94.95, while the financials group gained 0.4 percent overall. Interest rate cuts in 2015 have done their job and the Bank of Canada needs to consider its options as excess capacity is used up, Bank of Canada Governor Stephen Poloz said in a CNBC interview in Europe.