Toronto stocks finished flat on Tuesday as investors mulled over the discovery of case of mad cow disease in Alberta. The S&P/TSX composite index fell 9.92 points to 6,732.11.

The S&P/TSX index was in the red all day as it caught up to some of the large losses that hit the New York markets Monday, which was a holiday in Canada.

Gold stocks were the one bright spot, finishing the session 4% higher. Barrick Gold rose $1.13 to $24.78, while Kinross Gold added 55¢ to $9.07.

Information technology socks led the fall with a 3% drop.

The junior TSX Venture Exchange was up 4.31 points at 1,078.96.

In New York, stocks drifted lower on Tuesday, weighed by renewed fears of a terror attack in the United States and a sell-off in shares of fast-food chain McDonald’s Corp. on following news the mad cow discovery.

The Dow Jones industrial average slipped 2.03 points, to 8,491.36. The S&P 500 Index finished down 1.04 points at 919.73. The tech-heavy Nasdaq composite index shed 1.68 points, to 1,491.09.

The Canadian dollar continued its rise as it passed US74¢ on Tuesday. The loonie closedat US74.04¢, up 0.76 of a cent.