TORONTO -- Canada's main stock index had its worst day in nearly seven weeks on profit-taking following record highs and investor sentiment being weighed down by "scary virus counts" in some regions.

The S&P/TSX composite index closed down 163.64 points to 19,040.78.

In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 256.33 points at 33,821.30. The S&P 500 index was down 28.32 points at 4,134.94, while the Nasdaq composite was down 128.50 points at 13,786.27.

The Canadian dollar traded for 79.54 cents US compared with 79.88 cents US on Monday.

The June crude oil contract was down 76 cents at US$62.67 per barrel and the May natural gas contract was down 2.2 cents at US$2.73 per mmBTU.

The June gold contract was up US$7.80 at US$1,778.40 an ounce and the May copper contract was down 2.5 cents at US$4.21 a pound.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 20, 2021.