North American markets closed mixed at the end of a directionless session Thursday, one day before the release of the U.S. February employment report.

The S&P/TSX composite index was down 22.42 points at 8,773.27. Just over 242 million shares, worth $3.68 billion, changed hands, as advances beat declines 684 to 573.

Energy stocks slipped 0.9% despite a jump in oil prices. EnCana lost $1.23 to $56.03.

Talisman Energy shares slipped $1.04 to $77.96 after reporting late Wednesday that it experienced a sharp drop in fourth-quarter profits but full-year earnings of more than $1 billion for the first time.

Talisman also announced plans for a three-for-one stock split.

PetroKazakhstan shares gained 7¢ to $37.15, as it announced a doubling of quarterly profits to US$90.3 million.

On the upside, the technology, telecoms and utilities sectors ended higher, while industrials were flat.

Among technology issues, Onex climbed 18¢ to $16.50 while Nortel Networks lost 12¢ to $10.11.

Telus climbed 77¢ to $25.94 after the phone company announced it is joining forces with a subsidiary of an Ontario Crown corporation to service northeastern Ontario.

In other earnings news, Canadian Western Bank reported that its quarterly profit was up 5% to $9.9 million. It shares closed up 56¢ to $43.41.

TLC Vision Corp. shares gained 45¢ to $14.50 its fourth-quarter loss shrank to US$2.9 million from US$39.7 million.

Quarterly profit at MDS rose to $28 million from $24 million on a revenue boost, but its shares gave up 24¢ to $21.61.

Shares in Patheon jumped $1.54 to $11.44 after the pharmaceutical firm reported its fiscal first-quarter profit dipped to US$2.6 million from US$3.1 million, as the weak U.S. dollar ate into revenue.

The junior TSX Venture composite index was 1.30 points lower at 1,890.98.

In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was off 5.11 points at 10,588.

The tech-heavy Nasdaq composite rose 21.76 points to 2,055.12, while the S&P 500 index was up 3.84 at 1,154.87.

Investors are looking ahead to tomorrow’s release of the February U.S. employment report. Hopes are high that the department will report the creation of at least 125,000 jobs.

The Canadian dollar closed up 0.33¢ to US75.02¢ US as Statistics Canada reported the housing sector continued to post fresh records in January, when building permits rose 1.1% from the previous high in December.