TSX post-Christmas slump drags on as oil prices fall

TORONTO -- The Toronto stock market posted a triple-digit loss on the second day of a post-Christmas slump as oil prices fell.

The S&P/TSX index ended the day down 103.46 points at 13,142.29, after losing 64 points on Tuesday when traders returned after the Boxing Day holiday.

New York markets were also lower on weak volume ahead of the New Year's Day holiday on Friday.

The Dow Jones average fell 117.11 points to 17,603.87, while the broader S&P 500 dropped 15 points to 2,063.36 and the Nasdaq lost 42.09 points to 5,065.85.

In commodities, the February contract for benchmark oil fell $1.27 to settle at US$36.60 a barrel, February natural gas retreated 15.6 cents to US$2.214 per mmBtu and February gold fell $8.20 to US$1,059.80 an ounce.

The Canadian dollar also fell after several sessions of marginal gains, dropping 0.32 of a cent to 72.02 cents U.S.