Source: The Canadian Press

The S&P/TSX composite index moved down 22.2 points to 12,513.4 as traders got back to work following the Thanksgiving Day holiday while the TSX Venture Exchange was ahead 9.51 points to 1,794.39.

The Canadian dollar was down 0.23 of a cent from Friday’s close to 98.65 cents US. Commodity prices eased after news reports said that regulators have told China’s biggest banks to set aside more reserves in a new move to control lending.

China’s top six lenders were ordered to increase reserves by 0.5 percentage points to 17.5% of their deposits, the Beijing News and other newspapers said, citing unidentified bank employees.

There was no public announcement by the central bank.

Strong demand from a growing Chinese economy has boosted prices for oil and metals and the resource-heavy Toronto stock market.

Kazuhiro Takahashi, equity strategist at Daiwa SMBC Securities Co. Ltd. in Tokyo, said the surprise move by China raised worries that China’s economy could slow further, after rising 10.3% in the second quarter.

“Investors expect China’s move to tighten lending will dampen the country’s red-hot real estate market, and they are worried that a cooling housing market could well slow consumer spending and investments,” Takahashi said.

The TSX energy sector moved down 0.7% as oil prices backed off in the wake of the China report with the November crude contract on the New York Mercantile Exchange 38 cents lower to US$81.83 a barrel. Canadian Natural Resources (TSX:CNQ) fell 60 cents to $37.37 while Suncor Energy (TSX:SU) lost 35 cents to $34.69.

The base metals component fell 1.16% with December copper in New York off two cents at US$3.77 a pound. Teck Resources (TSX:TCK.B) gave back $1.04 to $43.97 while Lundin Mining (TSX:LUN) dropped 13 cents to $5.37.

The December gold contract on the Nymex eased $4.30 to US$1,350.10 an ounce. The gold sector eased almost 1% as Goldcorp Inc. (TSX:G) faded 47.5 cents to $44.07.

Financials were supportive with Manulife Financial (TSX:MFC) ahead seven cents at $12.48.

New York markets were also lower as traders prepared for the Federal Reserve to release minutes from its September meeting Tuesday afternoon. The details of the meeting could provide clues about the central bank’s widely expected plans to further stimulate the economy through bond purchases.

New York’s Dow Jones industrial average was down 52.2 points to 10,958.1.

The Nasdaq composite index was down 8.16 points to 2,394.17 while the S&P 500 lost 4.05 points to 1,161.25.

Stocks have been buoyant recently as investors decided it was a near certainty that the Fed would announce a second round of so-called quantitative easing, which would involve the purchase of financial assets from the banks. That would put more dollars into the financial system in an attempt to further drive down rates on mortgages, corporate loans and other debt in the ultimate hope of boosting economic activity and supporting prices.

However, comments from Janet Yellen, the vice chairman of the Fed, Monday reined in the most exuberant hopes in the markets.

Yellen warned that excessively easy monetary policy, involving ultra-low interest rates and an expansion in the Fed’s balance sheet, could create big problems down the line.

Meanwhile, a pair of earnings reports from Intel Corp. and CSX Corp. should provide further insight into the health of the U.S. economy when they are released after the closing bell. Stock markets were lifted at the end of last week after resource giant Alcoa Inc beat analyst forecasts for profit and revenue. The largest U.S. aluminum company also delivered a positive outlook.

On the corporate front, Pfizer Inc. has agreed to buy King Pharmaceuticals Inc. for $3.6 billion in cash. The price for the drugmaker represents a 40% premium over King’s closing price on Monday. It would broaden Pfizer’s array of painkillers and drug delivery devices.

Talisman Energy Inc. (TSX:TLM) has stuck a joint venture deal with a Norwegian oil company to expand its stake in the Eagle Ford shale gas play in south Texas for more than US$1.3 billion. The deal, announced over the Thanksgiving weekend, gives the Calgary company key stakes in the three major shale gas areas in North America _ in northeastern British Columbia the U.S. Midwest, Quebec and south Texas. Talisman shares were off 22 cents to $17.94.

Breakwater Resources Ltd. (TSX:BWR) shares dipped one cent to $4.70 as the company said that employees at its Toqui mine site in southern Chile have accepted a new three-year contract, ending a week-long strike. The Toronto-based base metals producer said Tuesday the new contract will add about US$1 per tonne to its annualized mill costs, with a production rate of 520,000 tonnes per year.

Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 stock index slid 2.1%, South Korea’s Kospi slipped 1.2% and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index declined 0.4%.

One notable exception was the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index, which rose 1.2%.

London’s FTSE 100 index was down 0.24%, Frankfurt’s DAX pulled back 0.09% while the Paris CAC 40 lost 0.56%.