CANADA STOCKS-TSX hits all-time record close on quiet day at end of strong month

By Ragini Mathur and Ed White

Sept 30 (Reuters) - The TSX pegged an all-time record close on Tuesday and ended the quarter higher, as a holiday-affected market digested news about U.S. tariffs, as well as corporate news from Imperial Oil and TD Bank.

The TSX .GSPTSE closed up 50.9 at 30022.81. Many Canadian companies and traders observed the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation holiday, but volume was average.

U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday his administration would put 10% tariffs on imported timber and lumber, and 25% duties on some imported furniture and cabinets. Canada is a major exporter of wood products to the U.S.

Trump also threatened 100% tariffs on foreign-made films. Canada has a large moviemaking industry tightly integrated with Hollywood.

U.S. oil major Exxon Mobil XOM.N said it plans to lay off about 2,000 workers, including hundreds at Imperial Oil IMO.TO, of which it owns a majority share. Imperial fell on the news.

TD Bank TD.TO hit a record share price early on Tuesday following CEO Raymond Chun's statements about his company's growth potential, its anti-money-laundering efforts, and its cost-savings focus. The financial subindex .SPTTFS rose.

Michael Dehal, senior portfolio manager with Raymond James, pointed to a risk-off day in U.S. and Canadian markets, with defensive sectors strengthening at the end of the quarter.

"People might be rebalancing their portfolios, taking profits on some of the high-fliers like tech," said Dehal.

Traders are also watching the prospects of a U.S. government shutdown.

A government closure would delay Friday's crucial U.S. employment report, potentially complicating the Federal Reserve's monetary policy outlook.

Canada's benchmark index closed September and the third quarter with robust gains due to strong corporate earnings and high commodity prices, particularly gold, said Josh Sheluk, a portfolio manager at Verecan Capital Management.