CANADA STOCKS-TSX falls as Trump's Fed criticism shakes markets

By Ragini Mathur

April 21 (Reuters) - Canada's commodity-heavy main stock index fell on Monday, led by a decline in energy shares, as investors were jittery after U.S. President Donald Trump's criticism of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell.

Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX Composite Index .GSPTSE fell 0.6% to 24,037.16 points, on pace to snap its five-session winning streak.

Including Monday's moves, the TSX shed 2.4% in 2025, compared with 11.6% downfall on S&P 500 .SPX in the U.S.

"The TSX continues to outperform the S&P 500 this year, but it is not immune to what is going on south of the border," said Angelo Kourkafas, investment strategist at Edward Jones Investments.

"The fact that we are seeing a risk-off move in U.S. markets, it is hard for the Canadian markets to ignore and that is also a bit of a driver."

The Canadian market tracked a decline in Wall Street's main indexes, as the Trump administration's statement about considering options to fire Powell, a day after the President's criticism, fueled concerns about the central bank's autonomy. .N

The Canadian government 10-year bond yields CA10YT=RR rose 5.1 basis points to 3.188%, also tracking its U.S. counterpart.

In Canada, nine of the 11 major sectors traded in red.

The healthcare sector .GSPTTHC led losses with a 2.2% fall. Pharmaceutical firm Bausch Health BHC.TO fell 7%.

The heavy-weight energy stocks .SPTTEN dropped more than 1% as oil prices fell after nuclear talks between the U.S. and Iran showed progress.

On the other hand, metal mining .GSPTTMT shares were up 1.5% as gold miners benefited from the yellow metal's record run.

Focus was also on the U.S.-China trade tensions after Beijing on Monday warned of "countermeasures" against countries striking deals with the U.S. at its expense.

Canadian retail sales data later this week will offer insights into consumer spending patterns amid the trade war.

This is also the final week of campaigning before the Canada's election on April 28, with Prime Minister Mark Carney pledging on a new economic order that is less reliant on the U.S.