The Globe and Mail reports in its Friday edition that Canada's main stock index edged higher on Thursday as tech shares clawed back some of the previous day's declines and investors cheered TD Bank's quarterly results. A Reuters dispatch to The Globe says the S&P/TSX Composite Index ended up 14.84 points at 25,854.01, with the market staying close to its record high. U.S. stocks finished little changed as Treasury yields eased off recent highs after the House of Representatives passed President Donald Trump's tax and spending bill. "Not saying that we're out of the woods, but in Canada, we're in a very low rate environment, inflation has come down dramatically, you've got pretty decent earnings," said Barry Schwartz at Baskin Wealth Management. TD Bank reported better-than-expected earnings for the second quarter, powered by strength at its wholesale banking arm, and said it would lay off 2 per cent of its work force and scale up digital and AI investments. Recent strength in bank stocks is a sign that investors are not expecting a deep economic slowdown, Mr. Schwartz said. "The smart money is saying if there is a recession it may be a technical one, with no real impact on the economy and brighter days are ahead."