S&P/TSX composite falls more than 200 points in early trading

Photo: The Canadian Press

Canada's main stock index posted a triple-digit drop in early trading as the technology and metals and mining sectors helped lead the decline.

The S&P/TSX composite index was down 244.63 points at 18,172.11.

In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 116.95 points at 31,404.74. The S&P 500 index was down 34.63 points at 3,841.87, while the Nasdaq composite was down 339.71 points at 13,193.34.

The Canadian dollar traded for 79.27 cents US compared with 79.28 cents US on Monday.

The April crude oil contract was down 32 cents at US$61.38 per barrel and the April natural gas contract was down five cents at US$2.89 per mmBTU.

The April gold contract was down US$1.30 at US$1,807.10 an ounce and the March copper contract was down two cents at US$4.12 a pound.