(Toronto) The flagship index of the Toronto Stock Exchange retreated more than 150 points late Thursday morning, dragged down by losses in the energy, telecommunications and financial sectors, while the big American indexes progressed in scattered order.

The composite index S

In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average fell 119.48 points to 32,680.44 points, while the broader S index

In the currency market, the Canadian dollar was trading at 73.37 cents US, down from its average price of 73.63 cents US on Wednesday.

On the New York Commodities Exchange, crude oil prices fell US$1.73 to US$72.61 per barrel, while natural gas returned US9 cents to US$2.48 per million BTU .

The price of gold cleared US$19.20 to US$1945.40 per ounce and that of copper rose 4 US cents to US$3.60 per pound.