Toronto stocks finished higher Wednesday on the strength of the energy and financial sectors, while U.S. markets slipped in anticipation of Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan’s comments on Thursday before a congressional committee.

The S&P/TSX composite index was up 51.72 points, or 0.54%, to finish at 9,707.88

Volume on the senior exchange was just under 213 million shares.

Seven of the 10 major TSX groups posted gains, including the energy sector, which rose 1.45% and the heavily weighted financial sector, which gained 0.45%. Also strong were consumer discretionary, up 0.96% and telecommunications, advancing 0.73%. The weakest sector was health care, which dropped 0.85%.

The price of oil dropped $1.22 to finish at US$52.54 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, after a U.S. government report on inventories showed a 3 million barrel draw on crude; analysts had expected a build.

On the TSX, EnCana Corp. gained $2.11, or 4.67%, to close at $47.25, while Petro-Canada gained 49¢, or 0.69%, to end at $71.85.

Manulife Financial gained 61¢, or 1.04%, to finish at $59.20, while the TSX Group Inc. gained 43¢, or 1.28%, to close at $33.93.

Sporting goods retailer Forzani Group dropped $1.03, or 8.84%, to close at $10.62 with the release of disappointing first quarter numbers, blamed in part on the NHL lockout and a corresponding drop in the sales of licensed hockey apparel.

The Canadian dollar fell 0.4 of a cent to close at US79.90¢ after Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. reported that housing starts took a bigger-than-expected dip in May.

The junior S&P/TSX Venture composite index fell 1.85, or 0.11%, to finish at 1,653.82.

On Wall Street, confusion over the future direction of the U.S. Federal Reserve’s recent policy of measured rate hikes contributed to the anemic performance of U.S. markets.

The Dow Jones industrial average fell 6.21, or 0.06%, to finish at 10,476.86; the Nasdaq composite index fell 6.98, or 0.34%, to close at 2,060.18; and the S&P 500 fell 2.59, or 0.22%, to finish at 1,194.67.