TSX Today: Why Canadian Stocks Could Fall on Thursday, April 3

TSX stocks may come under pressure today as sharp commodity declines and Trump’s sweeping new tariffs spark fresh concerns over global trade.

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The Canadian stock market climbed for a third straight session on Wednesday, as global investors waited for U.S. president Donald Trump’s new tariff announcement expected later in the day. The S&P/TSX Composite Index climbed by 274 points, or 1.1%, to settle at 25,307 — reaching its highest closing level in over a week.

Despite continued declines in healthcare stocks, solid gains in most other key sectors, including technology, consumer cyclicals, and industrials, helped power the TSX benchmark higher.

Notably, after the market closing bell, Trump declared a national emergency over persistent U.S. goods trade deficits and unveiled a sweeping executive order to impose a new reciprocal tariff regime. A base 10% tariff will apply to most U.S. imports starting April 5, escalating to as high as 50% for certain countries starting April 9.

Top TSX Composite movers and active stocks

Superior Plus (TSX:SPB) jumped by 8.1% to $7.11 per share, topping the TSX leaderboard after unveiling upgraded growth targets at its 2025 Investor Day. The Toronto-based propane distributor now expects a 17% compound annual growth rate in EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) per share through 2027, largely driven by planned share repurchases of about 40 million shares.

Created with Highcharts 11.4.3Superior Plus PriceZoom1M3M6MYTD1Y5Y10YALLwww.fool.ca

More importantly, Superior Plus expects its free cash flow to more than double over the next three years, supported by better margins and cost management. SPB stock is now up 11.3% year to date.

Bombardier, TFI International, and MDA Space were also among the top gainers on the Toronto Stock Exchange, with each climbing by at least 4.3%.

On the flip side, BlackBerry dived by over 9% to $4.86 per share, making it the worst-performing TSX stock for the day. This selloff came after the Waterloo-based enterprise software firm issued a cautious outlook for fiscal 2026.

Aya Gold & Silver and BCE were also among the session’s worst performers, as they slipped by more than 4% each.  

Based on their daily trade volume, TD Bank, Scotiabank, Algonquin Power & Utilities, TC Energy, and Manulife Financial were the five most active TSX stocks.

TSX today

Commodity prices across the board fell sharply in early trading on Thursday, pointing to a lower open for the resource-heavy TSX index today. In addition, Dow futures tanked by nearly 1,200 points in premarket trading as Trump’s reciprocal tariff announcement on top U.S. trade partners triggered a wave of risk-off sentiment, which may pressure the TSX further.

While Canada wasn’t one of the countries mentioned in Trump’s sweeping new tariff plan, the 25% levy on all foreign-made vehicles will still apply to Canadian auto exports. For now, Canada may have avoided the harshest tariffs, but the possibility of further trade tensions still casts a shadow over investor sentiment.

Market movers on the TSX today

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This article represents the opinion of the writer, who may disagree with the “official” recommendation position of a Motley Fool premium service or advisor. We’re Motley! Questioning an investing thesis — even one of our own — helps us all think critically about investing and make decisions that help us become smarter, happier, and richer, so we sometimes publish articles that may not be in line with recommendations, rankings or other content.

Fool contributor Jitendra Parashar has positions in Bce, BlackBerry, Mda Space, and Toronto-Dominion Bank. The Motley Fool recommends Bank Of Nova Scotia, Superior Plus, and TFI International. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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