TORONTO _ The Toronto stock market shifted lower as fresh data showed a retrenchment in Canada's economic growth.
The S&P/TSX composite index was down 85.43 points at 15,021.57 shortly after trading began.
The Canadian dollar was down 0.27 of a U.S. cent at 80.15 cents.
Statistics Canada says the economy contracted at an annual pace of 0.6 per cent in the first three months of the year, as weaker oil prices had a more severe impact than economists expected. It was the first time real GDP dipped below zero since the fourth quarter of 2011, and the biggest slide into negative growth since the second quarter of 2009.
U.S. stocks were moderately lower in early morning trading after the government reported that the U.S. economy contracted in the first three months of the year.
The revised data, published early Friday, showed that U.S. gross domestic product contracted 0.7 per cent in the first quarter. That was worse than the government's initial estimate of growth of 0.2 per cent in the period.
KEEPING SCORE: The Dow Jones industrial average lost 71 points, or 0.4 per cent, to 18,054 as of 10:04 a.m. Eastern. The Standard & Poor's 500 index lost six points, or 0.3 per cent, to 2,116 and the Nasdaq composite lost six points, or 0.1 per cent, to 5,094.
GREEK CONFUSION: Though Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has said a deal with creditors could be ready by the weekend, others are less confident.
Christine Lagarde, the head of the International Monetary Fund, said a Greek exit from the euro remains a possibility, while German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble, appeared lukewarm in comments following the end of a meeting of top finance officials in Berlin. Without a deal for remaining bailout cash soon, Greece faces going bankrupt and ditching the euro. Figures from the European Central Bank showing Greek bank deposits at their lowest in more than a decade only added to the prevailing gloom.
ANALYST TAKE: ``It's the last trading day before the end of May deadline for Greece, and traders are not takings any chances,'' said David Madden, market analyst at IG. ``Until we have some clarity about a deal being struck, dealers will always fear for the worst.''
LET'S PLAY: GameStop rose $2.53, or 6 per cent, to $43.47. The video game retailer posted results that exceeded analysts' estimates, helped by the sale of recently released video game titles.
ENERGY: Benchmark crude rose as U.S. supplies declined more than expected. The futures contract was up 32 cents to $58.01 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent crude, used to price oil sold internationally, rose 97 cents to $63.55 in London.
BONDS, CURRENCIES: U.S. government bond prices rose. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note fell to 2.11 per cent. The euro rose to $1.0997 to the dollar, while the dollar rose to 123.83 yen against the Japanese currency.