* TSX closes down 0.02%
* Healthcare, resources stocks decline
* Perpetua Resources receives nod for $1.8 bln loan; shares gain 32%
April 8 (Reuters) - Canada's main stock index ended flat on Monday, as gains in financials and industrial stocks were offset by losses in healthcare driven by Bausch Health.
Investors were cautious ahead of Wednesday's Bank of Canada interest rate decision, when the central bank is expected to hold rates steady, and release new economic growth projections.
The Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index was down 4.08 points, or 0.02%, at 22,260.30.
Energy and gold stocks fell, tracking losses in oil and bullion prices. Energy and materials shares were down 0.22% and 0.56%, respectively.
Elvis Picardo, senior portfolio manager with Luft Financial, iA Private Wealth said investors were booking profits in energy and gold stocks after their recent runup.
Healthcare shares declined 1.8%, pulled down by Bausch Health that lost 7% after the company announced on Friday that it was filing a patent lawsuit against Amneal Pharmaceuticals.
Among the top movers, GoEasy Ltd led the bourse with a 4.4% gain.
Six of the eleven sectors traded lower on the index, with industrial shares limiting losses with a 0.6% gain.
The Bank of Canada is set to announce its next decision on borrowing costs on Wednesday, where the central bank is widely expected to leave rates unchanged.
"The last two CPI reports in Canada have been encouraging. Still, policymakers are likely to be cautious, noting that further progress is needed," said strategists at the National Bank of Canada.
Investors will monitor crucial economic data in the U.S., due later in the week, alongside the minutes of the Federal Reserve's last monetary policy meeting for more cues on the timing of rate cuts in the year.
In Canadian corporate news, Perpetua Resources gained 32% after the miner received a letter of interest from the U.S. Export-Import Bank (EXIM) for a loan worth up to $1.8 billion to develop an antimony and gold mine in northern Idaho. (Reporting by Purvi Agarwal in Bengaluru; Editing by Ravi Prakash Kumar and Deepa Babington)
