S&P/TSX composite creeps higher in late-morning trading, U.S. stock markets down

TORONTO –

Strength in the energy, utility and industrial sectors helped Canada’s main stock index edge higher, while U.S. stock markets fell in late-morning trading.

The S&P/TSX composite index was up 8.24 points at 20,398.57.

In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 383.09 points at 33,919.52. The S&P 500 index was down 10.82 points at 3,988.27, while the Nasdaq composite was down 34.40 points at 11,044.76.

The Canadian dollar traded for 74.69 cents US compared with 74.64 cents US on Monday.

The February crude contract was up 55 cents at US$80.41 per barrel and the February natural gas contract was up 30 cents at US$3.72 per mmBTU.

The February gold contract was down US$8.20 at US$1,913.50 an ounce and the March copper contract was down two cents at US$4.19 a pound.