Toronto stocks slightly lower on Wednesday. The S&P/TSX composite index finished down 9.95 points at 6,587.25, after bouncing around the break-even mark for most of the session.

Technology stocks were one source of strength, climbing 1.02%

The sector got a boost from an analyst report that suggested bellwether Oracle would likely top forecasts when it reports its quarterly results next week.

Nortel Networks finished up 10¢ to $2.94, while CGI Group Inc. rose 40¢ to $7.57. Zarlink Semiconductor added 10¢ to $4.69.

Gold issues glittered Wednesday, gaining 2.05%, as bullion prices inched higher. Iamgold rose 37¢ to $6.27, while Barrick Gold Corp. advanced 27¢ to $23.42.

Domtar fell 78¢ to $15.66 as the market digested news that the Quebec government’s financing agency would sell its 36.3 million common shares of the papermaker.

Wednesday’s volume was a brisk 218.3 million shares, with Nortel accounting for nearly a third of the total. Trading value was a weak $2.28 billion, while market momentum was positive, with advancing issues topping decliners 581 to 512.

The TSX Venture Exchange lost 1.17 points at 965.07.

In the United States, the Dow Jones industrial average rose 14.88 points to 8,589.14, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite climbed 5.83 points, to finish at 1,396.59. The broader S&P 500 was up 0.51 of a point at 904.96.

The Canadian dollar climbed to US64.28¢, up from
US64.08¢ cents at Tuesday’s close. The loonie rose after Statistics Canada said industrial capacity usage increased for a third quarter in a row in the July-September period, reaching 83.3 per cent. This has analysts thinking the Bank of Canada may be forced to raise interest rates sooner rather than later.