Stocks are having a tough time today as recovery worries, weak economic data, and a looming long weekend in the U.S, all conspire to take the market down.

The S&P/TSX index has dropped 57 points to 7668.

Volume is strong at 106 million shares so far today, with buying edging the selling by 26:23. Market breadth is decisively bearish however, with losers outnumbering winners by a margin of 13:11.

Just about every sector is down today, even the golds. Techs and health care stocks are the weakest groups, down about 2%. Uncertainty about recovery in those sectors are weighing on the stocks.

Energy stocks are weaker, down about 1.5%. Telecoms, industrials, financials and utilities are all down, too.

Even the golds have dropped a little, despite a solid US$3.80 gain in the price of gold to more than US$320 per ounce. Only real estate stocks are holding a slight gain.

Barrick Gold is down a little at midday, weighing on that group. Cambior has dropped 4% too, helping subdue gains in names such as Placer Dome, Fort Knox and TVX Gold.

Energy stocks are being dragged down by EnCana, which has dropped 2% on the day. This is overcoming a strong gain in Canadian 88, which is up 4% on the day. Sherritt, CN Rail and Royal Bank are lower, too.

There’s also weakness in tech names such as Nortel Networks, Celestica, Cognos, Descartes Systems, Ballard Power, Biovail and Telus. Angiotech is down more than 4% too on news that its chief scientific officer and senior vice-president of operations will both be retiring.

Against the general tide of selling there are gains in an eclectic mix of names such as Cinram, SouthernEra Resources, Wheaton River Minerals, Echo Bay Mines, Dynatec and Patheon.

In earnings news, Royal Laser Tech Corp reported a narrower loss to $2.24 million in the first quarter. The loss for the quarter was 12¢ per share in comparison to a loss of $1.35 per share in the quarter in 2001.

Linamar Corp saw its earnings climb to 18¢ per share in its first quarter. Earnings from continuing operations were $12.5 million, an increase of 24.2%.

Dundee Wealth Management reported that its net earnings for the quarter were $600,000 compared with $1.4 million in the same period of last year.

Fuel Cell Technologies reported that it lost $1 million in the first quarter.

Petrobank Energy & Resources said it generated earnings of $13,847,000 in the first quarter.

Finally, Denison Mines is changing its name to Denison Energy Inc., and implementing a share consolidation on a 20:1 basis.

In New York, stocks are heading lower on profit fears, recovery worries, and long weekend caution. The Dow Jones industrial average has dropped 84 points to 10,132. The S&P 500 has surrendered nine points to 1,088. The Nasdaq composite index is down 33 points to 1,665, as techs are the leading the way down .

The small caps are making the slide unanimous today. The S&P/TSX Venture index is down just a point though, to 1,220. Volume is very strong at 31.1 million shares. ECU Silver Mining is the top trader of the day so far, up 1¢ to 8¢ on 2.85 million shares.