Weaker technology issues are dragging Toronto stocks lower Friday. At midday, the S&P/TSX composite index is down 9.76 points at 7,983.58.

A disappointing forecast from Intel Corp., the world’s largest semi-conductor maker, has the TSX technology index down 1.2%.

Shares of Geac Computer are off 4%, while tech bellwether Nortel Networks is down o2%, to $5.67. Chip maker ATI Technologies is also down 2%.

The gold sub-index is down 0.3% on softer bullion prices.

Kinross Gold is off 21¢ at $11.74. Gabriel Resources has slipped 5¢, to $4.50 and Placer Dome is down shed 9¢ to $23.46.

Positive economic data from Canada and the United States has failed to lift market sentiment.

Before the market opened, Statistics Canada reported that the country’s unemployment rate fell to 7.5% in November as the economy added tens of thousands of new jobs for the third month in a row.

The junior S&P/TSX venture composite index is up 11.37 points at 1,715.52.

On Wall Street, stocks are lower following a report showing surprisingly sluggish U.S. jobs growth and a disappointing forecast from No. 1 computer chip maker Intel Corp.

The U.S. unemployment rate dropped in November, and U.S. companies created jobs for the fourth straight month, but they hired far fewer workers than expected, the Labor Department reported.

Intel cast a pall over Wall Street late on Thursday after the technology bellwether failed to raise the top of its fourth-quarter sales forecast and disclosed a US$600 million charge for a poorly performing wireless business.

At midday, the Dow Jones industrial average is down 35.70 at 9,895.12. The S&P 500 is off 3.13 points to 1,066.59, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite index is down 16.22 points at 1,952.58.