Canada’s main stock index inched lower to end a record-setting week marked by the avoidance of a war in the Middle East and the conclusion of a strong year for employment.
The S&P/TSX composite index closed down 1.08 points at 17,234.49, a gain of 168.37 points over the week.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 133.13 points at 28,823.77 after hitting 29,000 for the first time earlier in the session. The S&P 500 index was down 9.35 points at 3,265.35, while the Nasdaq composite was down 24.57 points at 9,178.86.
The Canadian dollar was trading for US76.62¢ compared with Thursday’s average of US76.46¢ after Statistics Canada said the economy added 35,200 jobs in December to beat analyst expectations.
The February crude contract was down US52¢ at US$59.04 per barrel and the February natural gas contract was up US3.6¢ at US$2.20 per mmBTU.
The February gold contract was up US$5.80 at US$1,560.10 an ounce and the March copper contract was up 1.15 cents at US$2.81 a pound.