Toronto stocks were flat Monday as investors as traders await tomorrow’s decision on interest rates from the Bank of Canada and a heavy flow of corporate earnings.

The central bank is expected to leave its trend-setting overnight rate unchanged at 2.50%.

At midday, the S&P/TSX composite index was down 8.70 points at 9,078.13. Volume was 104.9 million shares worth.

Five the 10 TSX main subgroups were lower, led by a 1.29% decline in the information technology sector.

Research in Motion fell $4.73, or 5.52%, to $81.02.

The heavily weighted financial index was off 0.33%, while the industrial group slipped 0.52%.

A 0.46% rise by energy issues climbed 0.46%, as crude oil rose to US$48.60 a barrel.

Precision Drilling added $1.59, or 1.97%, to $82.35 and Petro-Canada gained 73¢, or 1.18%, to $62.81.

In earnings news, Royal Group Technologies helped lead the market lower, dropping $1.44, or 11.39%, to $11.20 after it said it expects to report a first-quarter loss because of the lower U.S. dollar, increased raw material costs and legal costs.

In New York, U.S. blue-chip stocks rose slightly as high oil prices boosted energy shares and some investors bought stocks that have been beaten down so far this year.

The Dow Jones industrial average was up 9.46 points, or 0.09%, at 10,402.05. The S&P 500 was up 1.08 points, or 0.09%, at 1,168.95. The tech-heavy Nasdaq composite index was down 10.64 points, or 0.53%, at 2,023.28.