Potential U.S. retaliation against China over the coronavirus and high jobless claims pushed North American stock markets lower.

The S&P/TSX composite index closed down 112.78 points at 14,884.85.

In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 101.78 points at 24,474.12. The S&P 500 index was down 23.10 points at 2,948.51, while the Nasdaq composite was down 90.89 points at 9,284.88.

The Canadian dollar traded for US71.76¢ compared with US71.98¢ on Wednesday.

The July crude contract was up 43 cents at US$33.92 per barrel and the July natural gas contract was down 5.7 cents at US$1.85 per mmBTU.

The June gold contract was down US$30.20 at US$1,721.90 an ounce and the July copper contract was down 2.8 cents at US$2.43 a pound.