June 11 (Reuters) - Canada's main stock index rose on Thursday, led by retailer Dollarama, although lingering geopolitical tensions kept investors on edge.
At 10:37 a.m. ET, the Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index was up 0.9% at 34,479.68 points.
o The consumer discretionary sub-index led gains, lifted by a jump in Dollarama's shares, which rose 7.2% after the retailer beat quarterly sales and profit estimates, as shoppers flocked to its stores for low-priced essentials.
o All 10 TSX sectors were in the green; miners were up 1.5% as gold prices rose. [GOL/]
o On the geopolitical front, President Donald Trump said the U.S. would hit Iran "very hard tonight" and wanted eventually to take Iran's oil infrastructure hub Kharg Island, after tit-for-tat strikes in the Gulf that have undermined a shaky ceasefire.
o "People are getting a little more defensive amid ongoing tensions in the Middle East and uncertainty around a trade agreement. There's been a modest stepping away from the riskiest assets, but overall it's a bit of a mixed bag," said Matthew Kempton, portfolio manager at Verecan Capital Management.
o President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the U.S. might not renew its free trade agreement with Canada and Mexico and criticized trade deficits with those countries, although he said he was talking with their leaders about the matter.
o "The U.S. is a very important trading partner of ours and vice versa, so I do believe it will ultimately come to the negotiating table," Kempton said.
o Apotex Health rose 1.8% a day after the Canadian generic drugmaker made its Toronto market debut, raising about C$1.3 billion in gross proceeds -- the largest IPO on the TSX in five years.
(Reporting by Tharuniyaa Lakshmi in Bengaluru; Editing by Sahal Muhammed)
