Roger Biduk; Commodities Lower as Bay Street Drops

Roger Biduk;

Stock markets closed lower Tuesday after a surprisingly weak U.S. retail sales report helped persuade investors to take some profits from the spring rally.

The S&P/TSX Consumer Discretionary Index was 0.14% lower and the S&P/TSX Consumer Staples Index rose 0.64%.
Cascades Inc. (CAS) +5.93% to $2.86. Linamar Corporation (LNR) +5.07% to $3.73.

Toronto's S&P/TSX composite index closed 54 points lower at 9,231.62 led by declines in commodity stocks.
Still, the main TSX index is up more than 20 per cent since the start of the current rally March 10.
The TSX Venture Exchange was down 3.94 points to 976.92 while the Canadian dollar was up 0.36 of a cent to 82.37 U.S.

Roger Biduk;
The energy sector was the biggest TSX drag The April crude contract on the New York Mercantile Exchange lost 1.28% to $49.41 and natural gas was up 1.67% to $3.71 as the S&P/TSX Energy Index fell 2.09%.
Bankers Petroleum Ltd. (BNK) +15.64% to $2.07. OPTI Canada Inc. (OPC) +15.14% to $2.13. Crew Energy Inc. (CR) +9.98% to $5.18. Trinidad Drilling Ltd. (TDG) +9.86% to $3.90. NuVista Energy Ltd. (NVA) +7.65% to $7.18.

The industrials sector was also weak, The S&P/TSX Capped Industrials Index was down 1.71%.
Ballard Power Systems Inc. (BLD) -8.11% to $2.72.
International Forest Products (IFP.A) +8.70% to $2.50. Sino-Forest Corporation (TRE) +6.81% to $10.20. Canfor Corporation (CFP) +6.08% to $5.06. Newalta Inc. (NAL) +5.14% to $3.48. West Fraser Timber Co Ltd. (WFT) +5.04% to $24.99.

The telecom sector was weak as the S&P/TSX Capped Telecom Services Index was 1.14% lower.
Shares in Telus Corp. (TSX:T) fell back $1 to $30 after it said Tuesday its capital spending this year includes $700 million focused on wireless and wireline broadband infrastructure in Alberta. Overall capital investment planned by Canada's second-largest telecommunications operator remains at the $2.05-billion figure confirmed in February.
Shares in Canwest Global Communications Corp. (TSX:CGS) were down two cents to 23 cents and earlier hit an all time low of 20 cents. The slide came after Moody's Investors Service downgraded Canwest Media Inc., a key part of the company, and said it's unlikely it will repay $30.4 million of interest due on Tuesday.

Roger Biduk;
The tech sector was the biggest gainer as the S&P/TSX Capped Information Technology Index rose 1.72%.
Torstar Corporation (TS.B) +7.29% to $5.59. Absolute Software Corporation (ABT) +6.67% to $5.12.

The S&P/TSX Capped Financial Index, was higher today by 0.15%.
Financial 15 Split Corp. II (FFN) +10.27% to $4.08. R Split III Corp. (RBS) +6.97% to $6.75. Global Uranium Fund Inc. (GUR) +6.80% to $2.20. Primaris Retail Real Estate In (PMZ.UN) +5.92% to $10.20. Dividend 15 Split Corp. (DFN) +5.50% to $7.86.
Energy Plus Income Trust (EPF.UN) -5.68% to $4.65.

S&P/TSX Capped Diversified Metals & Mining Index dropped 2.40% as aluminum fell 1.79%, copper was 0.51% lower at $2.13 and silver was unchanged at $12.77.
Athabasca Potash Inc. (API) +6.91% to $2.94.
Quadra Mining Ltd. (QUA) -5.09% to $6.15. New Gold Inc. (NGD) -5.88% to $2.08. Inmet Mining Corporation (IMN) -6.76% to $36.00.
Denison Mines Corp. (TSX:DML) shares were up 21 cents to $1.51 after it said it has struck a deal for Korea Electric Power Corp. to take a 19.9 per cent stake in the mid-tier uranium producer. The company is mired in debt and waiting desperately for an upturn in uranium prices.

The S&P/TSX Capped Utilities Index lost 0.29%.

The S&P/TSX Global Gold Index fell 1.12% as the April bullion contract in New York fell $3.80 to US$892.00 an ounce.
Imperial Metals Corporation (III) +5.43% to $4.08.
The S&P/TSX Capped Health Care Index was higher by 0.32%.

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