TORONTO - North American traders avoided moving stock markets in any solid direction, as the Canadian dollar weakened by half a cent.
The loonie lost 0.54 of a U.S. cent to 76.76 cents US amid declining oil prices.
The more heavily-traded September crude contract declined 49 cents at $45.45 per barrel, while the August contract dipped 59 cents to $45.65 a barrel.
On the Toronto Stock Exchange, the S&P/TSX composite index was barely changed, down 7.79 points at 14,524.61.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average gained 25.96 points at 18,559.01, while the broader S&P 500 composite index declined a marginal 3.11 points at 2,163.78 and the Nasdaq composite faded 19.41 points at 5,036.37.
Meanwhile, August natural gas was up a penny at US$2.73 per mmBTU, while the August gold contract rose $3 to US$1,332.30 an ounce and the September copper contract rose three cents to US$2.26 a pound.