Toronto stocks slid slightly lower Friday, ending the week on a down note, despite a buying spree among tech stocks. The S&P/TSX composite index closed down 12.11 points, or 0.14%, at 8,667.87.

Eight of the 10 TSX sub-indices ended the session lower. The information technology sector beat the down tredn, rising 1.6%.

The materials group — which includes gold stocks — slipped 0.9%.

Celestica and Microsoft both reported upbeat profits, attracting buyers to tech issues. Celestica surged $4.45, or nearly 20%, to $26.97 one day after posting a quarterly profit.

Nortel Networks rose 10¢, or 1.3%, to $7.81. ATI Technologies closed up 52 ¢, or 2.3%, at $23.27.

Meanwhile, gold stocks dropped 1.4%. Barrick Gold slid 41¢, or 1.4%, to $28.40. Investors reacted to news that Barrick expects production at its mine in the central Andes to slip by 29% this year.

Goldcorp fell 29¢, or nearly 2%, to $15.90, and Placer Dome Inc. closed down 13¢, or 0.6%, at $20.47.

The day finished on a better note on Wall Street, where stocks rose for a third straight day, buoyed by the Microsoft results.

The Dow Jones industrial average gained 11.64 points, or 0.11%, to 10,472.84. The S&P 500 edged up 0.67 point, or 0.06%, to 1,140.60. The tech heavy Nasdaq composite index gained 16.86 points, or 0.83%, to 2,049.77.