North American markets relatively flat in pause of extreme volatility

TSX down slightly at start of week

Canada’s main stock index started the week down slightly as North American markets took a pause from recent extreme volatility.

The S&P/TSX composite index closed down 40.24 points at 16,495.09.

In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 38.05 points at 26,835.51. The S&P 500 index was down 0.28 points at 2,978.43, while the Nasdaq composite was down 15.64 points at 8,087.44.

The Canadian dollar traded for an average of US76.02¢ compared with an average of US75.91¢ on Friday.

The October crude contract was up US$1.33 at US$57.85 per barrel and the October natural gas contract was up US8.9¢ at US$2.59 per mmBTU.

The December gold contract was down US$4.40 at US$1,511.10 an ounce and the December copper contract was down US0.65¢ at US$2.63 a pound.