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

Canada’s main stock index was down in late-morning trading, weighed down by losses in base metal and telecommunications stocks, while U.S. stock markets were mixed.

The S&P/TSX composite index was down 66.62 points at 21,346.53.

In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 7.77 points at 39,139.30. The S&P 500 index was down 6.94 points at 5,081.86, while the Nasdaq composite was down 4.53 points at 15,992.29.

The Canadian dollar traded for 73.99 cents US compared with 74.11 cents US on Friday.

The April crude contract was up 48 cents at US$76.97 per barrel and the April natural gas contract was up nine cents at US$1.79 per mmBTU.

The April gold contract was down US$11.50 at US$2,037.90 an ounce and the May copper contract was down six cents at US$3.84 a pound.