Toronto stocks finished almost flat on Monday. The Toronto Stock Exchange 300 composite index ended the day down 2.06 points, a mere 0.03%, to 7,908.20. Only five of the 14 TSE sub-indexes added points today.

Gold and pipeline issues held the market up against dropping metals and forestry stocks. Gold stocks showed fresh energy, clambering up 3.09% as bullion prices steadied after last week’s sell-off. Barrick Gold Corp. gained 95¢ to $27.95. Placer Dome Inc. added 75¢ to $17.70. Glamis Gold Ltd. moved up 20¢ to $7.10.

Pipeline stocks rose 2.29%, led by Enbridge Inc. The company added $1.40. moving to $44.90.

The S&P/TSE composite index fell marginally today, too. It dropped a mere 0.03% to 1162.55.

South of the border, the picture was brighter as the Dow Jones industrial average hit its highest close since late June, due to more good news about the U.S. economy.

The Dow Jones industrial average added 38.75 points, or 0.37%, to 10,611.24, the blue-chip measure’s highest close in nearly nine months. The Standard & Poor’s 500 added 3.95 points, or 0.34%, to 1,168.26, and the Nasdaq composite index slipped 0.18 of a point, or 0.01%, to 1,929.49.

In the six months since the terrorist attacks, the Dow has climbed10.5%, the Nasdaq has added 13.8%. The S&P 500 has gained 6.9%.