S&P/TSX composite edges lower in early trading, U.S. stock markets mixed

Photo: The Canadian Press

Canada's main stock index edged lower in early trading, weighed down by losses in the financial, energy and metals and mining sectors.

The S&P/TSX composite index was down 4.55 points at 17,269.70.

In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 116.88 points at 29,929.36. The S&P 500 index was down 7.78 points at 3,627.63, while the Nasdaq composite was up 31.74 points at 12,068.53.

The Canadian dollar traded for 76.83 cents US compared with 76.73 cents US on Tuesday.

The January crude contract was up 61 cents at US$45.52 per barrel and the January natural gas contract was down less than a penny at US$2.90 per mmBTU.

The December gold contract was up US$5.60 at US$1,810.20 an ounce and the December copper contract was down less than a penny at US$3.30 a pound.