Canadian stock market edges up

TORONTO, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- Canada's main stock index edged up Tuesday as shares of energy and marijuana producers rose, balancing a dip in the materials group which was pressured by a drop in gold prices.

The Toronto Stock Exchange's benchmark Standard & Poor's/TSX Composite Index edged up 1.59 points, or 0.01 percent to close the day at 16,319.24.Six of the index's 10 main groups closed up.

The energy group climbed 1.2 percent. Shares of Encana Corp gained 2.8 percent to 17.01 Canadian dollars.

The materials group, which includes precious and base metals miners and fertilizer companies, lost one percent.

Kinross Gold Corp dropped 3.9 percent to 5.17 Canadian dollars and Barrick Gold Corp fell 0.8 percent to 18.14 Canadian dollars as gold futures fell 0.7 percent to 1,309.6 Canadian dollars an ounce.

Nutrien Ltd, the fertilizer company formed last week by a merger of Potash Corp of Saskatchewan and Agrium, dropped 1.7 percent to 65.70 Canadian dollars.

Marijuana producers were also among the biggest gainers. Canopy Growth Co rose 5.5 percent to 42.07 Canadian dollars and Aphria Inc jumped 4.1 percent to 22.89 Canadian dollars. Enditem