Toronto stocks closed slightly lower today, failing to muster the gains generated on Wall Street.

The TSE 300 finished down 18.43 points at 7,399.22. Trading volume was weak ahead of the Labour Day weekend with 85.2 million shares changing hands.

Overall, seven of the TSE 300’s 14 sub-indices closed lower, with financial services down 1.29%.

Metals and minerals made the biggest gain, up 1.38%.

The banks dominated trading again today, with Scotia, Royal, TD and CIBC closing lower on profit-taking. Bank of Montreal gained 5¢ to close at $41.55.

Trading was active on the Canadian Venture Exchange. Volume was 25.9 million shares, with 225 advances, 174 declines and 532 issues unchanged. The CDNX Index closed up 26.40 at 3,050.34

In New York, the major indices posted gains after four days of declines in a see-saw session. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 30.17 points to 9,949.75. The Nasdaq composite index gained 13.76 points to 1,805.44, and the S&P 500 was up 4.55 points to 1,133.58.