North American stocks were mixed in early trading Friday following stronger than expected U.S. employment data for June.
The TSX fell 24 points to 12,142, while the Venture exchange was off a single point at 884.
Energy, gold, and mining stocks led the TSX’s decline.
Statistics Canada Friday reported that the Canadian economy shed 400 jobs in June, surpassing the expectation of 12,500 jobs being lost, while the official unemployment rate remained unchanged at 7.1%.
The Dow moved 69 points higher to 15,057, and the Nasdaq advanced 20 points to 3,464.
The U.S. Labor Department Friday reported that 195,000 new jobs were created in June, better than the 155,000 economist consensus estimate. The revised employment figures for May and April showed 70,000 more jobs were added than previously expected.
The price of gold slid $39 to US$1213, while silver prices slipped 78 cents to $18.82.