TORONTO - Some of the most active companies traded Tuesday on the Toronto Stock Exchange and the TSX Venture Exchange:

Toronto Stock Exchange (12,407.70 up 177.74 points):

Capstone Mining Corp. (TSX:CS). Miner. Up six cents, or 2.56 per cent, at $2.40 on 10,410,572 shares. The metals and mining sector led all the subgroups higher, ending the day up 2.50 per cent at 927.98 points.

Starfield Resources Inc. (TSX:SRU). Mining exploration. Down half a cent, or 50 per cent, at half a cent on 8,790,500 shares.

Canacol Energy Ltd. (TSX:CNE). Oil and gas. Down 2.5 cents, or 6.10 per cent, at 38.5 cents on 6,854,653 shares. The exploration and production company announced Monday that it will buy Shona Energy (TSXV:SHO) in a cash and share deal that values the junior oil and gas company at more than $130 million. It was the company's lowest closing price since December 2009. Shares of Shona Energy was up 10 cents, or 27.78 per cent, at 46 cents on 2,255,100 shares.

B2Gold Corp. (TSX:BTO). Miner. Up nine cents, or 2.34 per cent, at $3.94 on 5,430,168 shares. The Vancouver-based company posted record gold revenue of US$67.1 million on gold sales of 39,668 ounces. It also posted record third-quarter production of 42,156 ounces of gold from its La Libertad and Limon Mines in Nicaragua.

ProMetic Life Sciences Inc. (TSX:PLI). Biopharmaceutical. Up 2.5 cents, or 20 per cent, at 15 cents on 3,540,036 shares. The Laval, Que.-based company has signed two strategic agreements with Shenzhen Hepalink Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. totalling $21 million.

Barrick Gold Corp. (TSX:ABX). Miner. Up $1.22, or 3.21 per cent, at $39.21 on 3,175,145 shares. The gold sector rose 2.44 per cent to 341.79 points, buoyed by higher bullion price. The gold December contract jumped US$8.70 to $1,746.30 an ounce on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

TSX Venture Exchange (1,299.78 up 17.05 points):

Prodigy Gold Inc. (TSXV:PDG). Gold. Up two cents, or 2.04 per cent, at $1 on 44,722,938 shares. Its stock closed at its highest level in four years, buoyed by its announcement Monday that Toronto-based company Argonaut Gold (TSX:AR) will acquire Prodigy for shares and cash in a friendly deal valued at $341 million. Argonaut's shares closed 21 cents or 2.18 per cent higher at $9.86 on 3,174,172 shares.

Extenway Solutions Inc. (TSXV:EY). Technology solutions. Up three cents, or 100 per cent, at six cents on 9,520,000 shares. The Montreal-based company announced a private placement financing for a minimum gross proceeds of $3 million and maximum of $6 million.

Companies reporting major news:

Gildan Activewear (TSX:GIL). Apparel. Up $1.08, or 3.33 per cent, at $33.53 on 523,016 shares. The sock and T-shirt maker faces a trademark infringement and unfair competition lawsuit by Fruit of the Loom affiliate Russell Brand after about $100,000 worth of Russell Brands Jerzees clothing was mistakenly relabelled with the Gildan brand and sold to customers.

Loblaw Co. Ltd. (TSX:L). Grocer. Up 84 cents, or 2.48 per cent, at $34.72 on 410,465 shares. Canada's largest grocer is cutting about 700 jobs, mostly management and administrative positions at its Toronto-area head office in a move that it says will help the grocery retailer reduce costs and become more efficient.

News from © The Canadian Press, 2012