Dec 10 (Reuters) - Canada’s main stock index fell on Tuesday, pressured by a fall in financial companies as Canada’s banking regulator raised the minimum capital requirement for ‘systemically important’ banks.
* The rule will be effective April 30 and will be applicable to banks such as Bank of Montreal, Bank of Nova Scotia , Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, National Bank of Canada, Royal Bank of Canada and Toronto-Dominion Bank.
* Their shares fell between 0.1% and 0.5%, while the broader financial sector slipped 0.5%.
* Limiting losses in markets was a report that said the trade negotiators from the United States and China were planning to delay a fresh round of tariffs set to kick in on Dec. 15.
* At 9:54 a.m. ET (1454 GMT), the Toronto Stock Exchange’s S&P/TSX composite index was down 25.99 points, or 0.15%, at 16,924.86.
* Healthcare stocks tumbled 1.4% on Tuesday, after rallying in the previous session.
* The most heavily traded shares by volume were Aurora Cannabis, Canopy Growth Co and Western Forest Products Inc.
* Ballard Power Systems Inc dropped 7.3%, the most on the TSX. The company signed a product development agreement with HDF Energy.
* The materials sector gained 0.2% as gold futures rose 0.5% to $1,466.9 an ounce.
* Canada, Mexico and the United States have reached an agreement on a new North American free trade deal and they will sign it on Tuesday, but the pact still needs the approval of U.S. and Canadian lawmakers, Mexico’s president said.
* The largest percentage gainers on the TSX were Oceanagold Corp, which jumped 2.6% and Gran Tierra Energy , which rose 2.1%, after it announced 2020 guidance update.
* On the TSX, 108 issues were higher, while 115 issues declined for a 1.06-to-1 ratio to the downside, with 21.51 million shares traded.
* The TSX posted 10 new 52-week highs and one new low.
* Across all Canadian issues there were 20 new 52-week highs and four new lows, with total volume of 36.54 million shares. (Reporting by Arjun Panchadar in Bengaluru; Editing by Amy Caren Daniel)
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