TSX hits five-week low as trade war fears grow

TORONTO (Reuters) - Canada's main stock index fell to a five-week low on Friday, led by declines for financial and industrial shares, as domestic data showed hotter-than-expected inflation and fears of a global trade war gripped investors. * Wall Street tumbled on Friday with more than 1,000 points knocked off the Dow in two days as investors, increasingly nervous about a potential U.S. trade war with China, shied away from risk ahead of the weekend and sought shelter from further losses. * Canada's annual inflation rate in February jumped to a three-year high while January retail sales put in another disappointing performance, giving the Bank of Canada room to ponder when next to hike interest rates. * Financials, which account for more than one-third of the weight of the TSX, fell 1.6 percent. Toronto-Dominion Bank declined 2.3 percent to C$73.21. And Royal Bank of Canada was down 1.4 percent at C$99.21. * Industrials fell 1.4 percent as railroad shares lost ground. * The Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index ended down 176.19 points, or 1.14 percent, at 15,223.74, its lowest close since Feb. 13. * On Thursday, the TSX registered its biggest one-day percentage drop since September 2016. For the week, the index fell 3.1 percent. * The energy group fell 1 percent even as oil prices climbed. U.S. crude oil futures settled 2.5 percent higher at $65.88 a barrel. * Eight of the index's 10 main groups ended lower. * The materials group, which includes precious and base metals miners and fertilizer companies, added 0.6 percent. * Gold futures rose 1.7 percent to $1,349.3 an ounce, boosted by demand for safe-haven assets. * The largest percentage gainer on the TSX was Kinross Gold, which rose 6.2 percent, while the largest decliner was Lundin Mining, down 6.0 percent. * The TSX posted three new 52-week highs and 15 new lows. (Reporting by Fergal Smith; Editing by James Dalgleish)