The TSX composite lost 130.92 points to 12,551.18 in mid-morning trading on Wednesday. The Dow was down 57.76 to 14,604.25, while NASDAQ slipped 16.43 to 3,238.43.
Suncor Energy Inc. (TSX: T.SU, Stock Forum) said its average oil sands production rose 6.2% to 375,000 barrels per day in March from 353,000 the previous month. The stock lost 1.4% to $30.78 in mid-morning trading.
In the Automatic Data Processing report, the number of private-sector jobs increased by 158,000 in March, falling short of the 192,000 expected.
The price of gold fell US$5.72 to US$1,570.09 an ounce, while silver dropped US$0.13 to US$27.14 an ounce.