TORONTO - The Toronto stock market closed little changed Wednesday as a burst in financial stocks helped offset falling energy and base metal stocks.
In New York, markets closed much higher as investors weighed projections of big job losses and some decent retail news.
Toronto's S&P/TSX composite index closed down 30.85 points at 8,296.69 as financial stocks improved ahead of earnings coming out Thursday and Friday.
Another source of strength was Research In Motion Ltd. (TSX:RIM). Shares in the Blackberry maker closed higher despite news that its third-quarter profit will be lower than previously estimated.
The Canadian dollar was down 0.16 cent to 79.78 cents U.S. amid ongoing economic gloom and political wrangling in Ottawa.
The Dow Jones industrial average moved up 172.6 points to 8,591.69, while the Nasdaq composite index climbed 42.58 points to 1,492.38. The S&P 500 rose 21.93 points to 870.69.
