North American stock markets fell midweek on heightened concerns about a trade deal with China and crude oil prices hitting their lowest level in nearly five months.

The S&P/TSX composite index closed down 21.52 points to 16,227.24.

In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 43.68 points at 26,004.83. The S&P 500 index was down 5.88 points at 2,879.84, while the Nasdaq composite was down 29.85 points at 7,792.72.

The Canadian dollar was trading at an average of US75.17¢ compared with an average of US75.37¢ on Tuesday.

The July crude contract was down US$2.13 at US$51.14 per barrel and the July natural gas contract was down US1.3¢ at US$2.39 per mmBTU.

The August gold contract was up US$5.60 at US$1,336.80 an ounce and the July copper contract was down US1.75¢ at US$2.65 a pound.