Toronto stocks closed lower on Monday as investors moved to lock in profits from the recent run up in energy shares. The S&P/TSX composite index fell 73.05 points, or 0.75%, to 9,668.32.

On the month, however, the TSX index pushed ahead 5% after a lackluster January.

Eight of the 10 main TSX subindexes finished lower.

Oil prices firmed near US$52 a barrel as cold and snowy weather in eastern North America threatened already strained heating oil supplies.

However, with the TSX energy sector up 10% over the past three weeks, investors did not hesitate to grab some profits.

EnCana shares fell $1.69, or 2%, to $81.81, while Canadian Natural Resources (eased $2.16, or 3%, to $70.09.

Health-care stocks dropped 2% to lead all declining groups, while energy stocks followed closely with a 1.8% slide.

The junior S&P/TSX Venture composite index slipped 0.91 of a point to end at 1,995.85.

Canada’s central bank is widely expected to leave its key interest rate unchanged on tomorrow when it releases its latest monetary policy decision.

The Bank of Canada’s overnight rate currently stands at 2.50%.

“The markets are not pricing in even a remote chance of a rate hike,” TD Bank chief economist Marc Lévesque said in a report last Friday. “There is not a single analyst on the street who is expecting the Bank to move off the sidelines.”

On Wall Street, U.S. stocks slid on Monday, weighed down by declines in biotechnology shares, oil prices above $51 a barrel and a brokerage downgrade on General Motors.

The Dow Jones industrial average ended down 75.37 points, or 0.70%, at 10,766.23. The S&P 500 Index was down 7.77 points, or 0.64%, at 1,203.60. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index was down 13.68 points, or 0.66%, at 2,051.72.

For the month, the Dow ended up 2.6%, the S&P 500 advanced 1.9% and the Nasdaq slipped 0.5%.

Monday’s sell-off follows a three-day rally last week which saw blue chips hit highs for 2005 on Friday.