Toronto stocks ended lower for a second straight session on Wednesday as slumping oil and gas prices weighed on resource issues.

The S&P/TSX composite index ended down 141.33 points, or 1%, to 13,978.16.

The loss stretched across almost all of the major sectors, with energy stocks leading the way, down 1.97%. The August crude oil contract on the New York Mercantile Exchange fell 68¢ to US$68.86 a barrel.

The decline came as the U.S. Energy Department said crude oil supplies increased by 6.9 million barrels to 349.3 million for the week ended June 15.

The gold sector was down 1.51% as the August bullion price closed $4.70 lower to US$660 an ounce on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

The junior TSX Venture Exchange was down 2.69 points to 3,234.39.

The Canadian dollar dipped 0.34 of a cent to US93.72¢.

A report from Statistics Canada revealed sharply lower wholesale sales in April as declines in several major sectors erased the strong gains made over the previous two months.

In New York, lower oil prices appeared to have little positive impact stocks, as bond yields continued to rise.

The Dow Jones industrials ended the session down 146 points, or 1.07%, at 13,489.42. The Nasdaq composite index was down 26.8 points, or 1.02%, to 2,599.96, and the S&P 500 index dropped 20.86 points, or 1.36%, to 1,512.84.