North American markets finished mostly in the red Friday as oil prices fell by more than US$1 a barrel Friday, dropping for the fifth straight day. Only the TSX Venture exchange managed to close out the week in the black.

At close, the S&P/TSX composite index was down 1.63 points or 0.02% at 9623.72, despite gains by both the technology and financials sectors. For the week, the TSX was down 0.15%.

The TSX Venture Exchange was up 2.56 points or 0.14% at 1848.81.

On Wall Street, the Dow industrial average fell 84.98 points or 0.81% at 10461.34. The Nasdaq lost 19.44 points or 0.96% at 1999.35 and the Standard & Poor’s 500 index slid 9.94 points or 0.83% to 1181.20.

Despite Friday’s losses, all three indices finished the week higher for the first time since March 4, buoyed by the largest weekly decline in oil prices since December. For the week, the Dow rose 0.55%, the S&P 500 climbed 0.71% and the Nasdaq gained 0.73%.

The Canadian dollar was down 0.26 of a cent to US81.41¢ in late trading.

Once again, crude prices took their toll on markets. Light, sweet crude for May delivery was down US$1.31 at US$52.80 a barrel in afternoon trade on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Crude futures have fallen more than US$5 since setting an intraday record above US$58 a barrel on Monday.