(RTTNews) – The Canadian stock market hit a new record on Thursday, driven by strong gains in the healthcare and materials sectors, amid continued optimism about earnings and growth.

A few stocks in the tech and consumer discretionary sectors also posted impressive gains.

The S & P / TSX Composite Index, which climbed to 21,621.47, ended the day with a gain of 120.05 points or 0.56% to 21,581.98, a new closing high.

The capped health care index jumped 2.65%. Aurora Cannabis (ACB.TO) climbed almost 7.5%. Cronos Group (CRON.TO), Canopy Growth Corp (WEED.TO) and Tilray Inc (TLRY.TO) gained 3.75 to 4.6%. Well Health Technologies (WELL.TO) and Chartwell Retirement Residences (CSH.UN.TO) grew 3.1% and 1.65%, respectively.

The capped materials index climbed 2.63% as several stocks in the section rallied sharply on firm bullion prices. Stelco Holdings (STLC.TO) zoomed in more than 10%. Teck Resources (TECK.B.TO) jumped 7.2%, while Ivanhoe Mines (IVN.TO), Capstone Mining Corp (CS.TO), Osisko Mining (OSK.TO) and Seabridge Gold (SEA. TO) gained 6 to 7.2%. Kinross Gold (K.TO), Ssr Mining (SSRM.TO), Equinox Gold Corp (EQX.TO), Turquoise Hill Resources (TRQ.TO) and Endeavor Silver Corp (EDR.TO) also rose strongly.

Viq Solutions (VQS.TO), up 11.6%, was the top winner in the technology index. Celestica Inc (CLS.TO), Sierra Wireless (SW.TO), Telus International (TIXT.TO), CGI Group (GIB.A.TO) and Enghouse Systems (ENGH.TO) gained 2-3.1%. Shopify Inc (SHOP.TO) and Alithya Group (ALYA.TO) also posted strong gains.

Among consumer discretionary stocks, Canada Goose Holdings (GOOS.TO) and Linamar Corp (LNR.TO) gained 3.5% and 2.5% respectively. Magna International (MG.TO) jumped nearly 2% and Aritizia Inc (ATZ.TO) gained around 1.5%.

Among the big losers today, Cae Inc (CAE.TO) plunged more than 10%. The company reported second-quarter adjusted net income of $ 53.2 million ($ 0.17 per share), up from $ 34.2 million ($ 0.13 per share) last year.

The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.