Toronto stocks were lower Thursday as the sale of $1.2 billion of CIBC shares by Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-Shing weighed on financial stocks. At midday, the S&P/TSX composite index was down 15.59 points, or 0.17%, at 9,007.12.

Volume was 132.1 million shares.

Seven of the 10 TSX main groups were lower. The financial group was off 0.41%.

Technology shares slid 0.85%, and gold mining stocks were off 1.01% as bullion prices eased.

CIBC shares were down $1.17, or 1.64%, at $70.0) after Li sold his 4.9% stake in the bank at $70 a share, donating the proceeds to his charitable foundations.

Other financial issues were also lower.

Bank of Montreal slipped 37¢, or 0.65%, to $56.33, and TD Bank fell 20¢, or 0.41%, to $48.30.

Among technology issues, Sierra Wireless slumped 13¢, or 0.7%, at $18.50 and Nortel Networks slipped 6¢, or 1.44%, at $4.10.

On a positive note energy stocks climbed as U.S. light crude prices added $1.63 to US$48.00 a barrel. Suncor Energy rose 62¢, or 1.51%, to $41.61 while Shell Canada was up $1.59, or 2.03%, to $79.99.

In New York, stocks fell as oil prices jumped.

At midday, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 40.87 points, or 0.38%, at 10,576.91. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index was down 2.90 points, or 0.24%, at 1,184.80. The technology-laced Nasdaq Composite Index was down 5.60 points, or 0.27%, at 2,086.93.

In economic news, U.S. retail sales jumped a more-than-expected 1.2% in December, the government said, as car dealers, furniture stores and online retailers reported strong sales.

Another government report showed that the number of Americans filing initial claims for jobless pay grew unexpectedly last week to 367,000.

Shares of Apple Computer surged 10%, a day after reporting a quarterly profit that more than quadrupled.