#?#
.Q?tocks closed down Thursday, dragged lower by a poor performance in the information technology sector and a dip in crude prices.

The S&P/TSX composite index finished down 23.76, or 0.22%, to 11,018.50.

Volume on the senior exchange was 296 million shares.

Six of the 10 TSX main sub-groups ended higher, but the IT group fell 3.35%.

Research in Motion Inc. dropped $7.25, or 9.39%, to $70 as the company reported customer subscription growth for its Blackberry wireless device appeared to be slowing.

Other sector players were also down. Nortel Networks fell 10¢, or 2.61%, to $3.73, while CGI Group shed 40¢, or 4.68%, to $8.15.

A barrel of light crude for November delivery settled at US$66.79, up 44¢, on the New York Mercantile Exchange, despite the fact that production and refining facilities along the U.S. Gulf Coast are slowly coming back on line after the effects of hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

The energy sector fell 0.51%. Canadian Natural fell 99¢, or 1.83%, to $53.11.

The financial sector dropped 0.25%.

CI Financial yesterday postponed its planned conversion into an income trust, citing conflicting signals from the federal government. CI gained 5¢, or 0.23%, to close $22.05.

The Canadian dollar was up 0.12 of a cent at US85.38¢.

The junior S&P/TSX venture exchange finished up 32.43, or 1.54%, to 2,140.73.

In New York, markets rallied as investors were cheered by a drop in the price of oil and encouraging corporate reports.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 79.69, or 0.76%, to 10,552.78. S&P500 index rose 10.79, or 0.89%, to 1,227.68, and the Nasdaq composite index climbed 25.82, or 1.22%, to 2,141.22.