TSX posts modest advance, remains in the red for the week

TORONTO -- The Toronto stock market closed with a modest gain but remained in the red for the week as a whole after an early triple-digit advance evaporated.

The Toronto Stock Exchange S&P/TSX composite index finished the day's trading up 44.19 points at 12,797.79, giving it a slight loss for the week of 15.61 points.

The loonie rose slightly, up 0.15 of a U.S. cent to an even 74 cents US.

U.S. indexes were mixed, with the Dow Jones industrial average losing 57.32 points to 16,639.97 and the S&P 500 falling 3.65 points to 1,948.05. The Nasdaq gained 8.27 points to 4,590.47.

Base metals miners were among the biggest gainers as the May copper contract advanced 5.2 cents to US$2.125 a pound.

The April contract for benchmark U.S. crude oil settled 29 cents lower at US$32.78 a barrel, while April natural gas was unchanged at US$1.79 per mmBtu. April gold shed $18.40 to US$1,220.40.