Global indicators were mixed for North American stock markets Thursday as investors remained skittish about Tuesday’s selloff.

In today’s economic news, Statistics Canada reported that petroleum and metals pulled down the prices for manufactured goods and raw materials in January.

Separately, StatsCan said Canada’s current account surplus with the rest of the world stood at $3 billion in the fourth quarter, on a seasonally adjusted basis, down $2.8 billion from the previous quarter. This was the lowest surplus in more than three years.

The Canadian dollar opened at US85.36¢, down 0.12 of a cent.

South of the border, U.S. personal income climbed 1% in January, double the increase in spending, while a key gauge of inflation crept higher, remaining above the Federal Reserves comfort zone.

Major Asian stock markets retreated for a third session amid unease about the global economy, while European markets were mixed.

On mainland China, stocks continued their roller-coaster ride, with the Shanghai Composite Index falling 2.9% to close at 2,797.19. The index had tumbled 8.8% Tuesday, sparking a global financial market selloff, before rebounding nearly 4% Wednesday.

In Japan, the benchmark Nikkei 225 Index fell 150.61 points, or 0.86%, to finish at 17,453.51.

In, Hong Kong stocks fell 1.6%

Oil prices rose Thursday following yesterday’s release of a report showing declining U.S. crude inventories.

Light, sweet crude for April rose 53¢ to US$62.32 a barrel by noon in Europe in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

In today’s earnings news, Nortel Networks Corp. said it will restate its financial results for 2004 to 2006 to correct “certain errors: and delay its latest filing to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

The changes add about US$129 million in losses to 2004-5 reports, while improving 2006 earnings by $15 million. The firm reports in U.S. dollars.

Toronto stocks ended marginally higher Wednesday, after absorbing a triple-digit loss in the previous session, as the resource sectors rebounded and offset continued investor nervousness in the broader market.

The S&P/TSX composite index gained 4.91 points, or 0.04%, to 13,045.02. Yesterday, the key index dropped by 364.35 points.

Six of the 10 TSX main groups finished up, with the materials index gaining 0.86%.

The S&P/TSX Venture composite index shot forward 61.57 points, or 1.98%, to 3,171.54, after losing rough five percent of its value yesterday.

In New York, markets moved higher as investors, reassured by a bounce back overnight in the Chinese exchanges, sought to buy stocks cheaply.

The Dow Jones industrial average gained 52.39 points to 12,268.63, on a day where the index fluctuated between positive and negative territory. The S&P 500 rose 7.78 points to 1,406.82, while the Nasdaq Composite gained 8.27 points to 2,416.13.

During testimony to a congressional committee in Washington, U.S. Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke said the financial markets appeared to be “working well.”