Toronto stocks were mixed Tuesday as slumping technology issues offset rising gold shares. The S&P/TSX composite index fell 6.74 points to close at 8,588.18.

The information technology group recorded the session’s steepest fall with a drop of 1.3%, while health care issues slipped 0.6%. Five of the TSX’s 10 subindexes finished lower.

Among tech issues, Celestica fell $1.35 to $25.05 and shares in bellwether Nortel Networks gave up 15¢ to $8.40.

Manitoba Telecom Services saw its stock soar $4.25, or 9%, to $49.70, after it said it will consider a proposal to convert to an income trust.

Canadian gold-mining issues took advantage of higher bullion prices to erase loses from Monday’s session.

Placer Dome rose 33¢ to $21.18, while Barrick Gold finished with a gain of 58¢ at $26.78.

In earnings news, the soarignn loonie couldn’t keep Imperial Oil from reporting a record 2003, although the dollar’s rise cut deeply into fourth-quarter profit.

The company made a profit of $1.68 billion ($4.52 a share) for the year, up from $1.22 billion ($3.23) in 2002. Imperial shares closed down 77¢ at $60.95.

Canadian Pacific Railway said its fourth-quarter earnings got a boost from a better grain crop and strong demand for coal and sulphur.

The company said Tuesday it made $175 million ($1.10 a share) up from $126 million (79 cents a share) in the fourth quarter of 2002.

Shares of CP gained 3¢ to finish at $35.60.

TransCanada Corp., the energy and pipeline company made $193 million (40¢ a share) in the fourth quarter, up from $180 million (37¢) a year earlier. Revenue fell to $1.32 billion from $1.34 billion a year earlier.

TransCanada shares added 12¢ to $27.95.

After the bell, the TSX Group, operator of the Toronto Stock Exchange , reported a stronger fourth-quarter profit , boosted by stronger market-related revenues and the revaluation of a future tax asset.

TSX said net income was $26.9 million , or 79¢ per share, for the quarter ended Dec. 31, up from $13. million, or 38¢, a year earlier.

TSX shares finished the day up 19¢ at $44.49.

The junior S&P/TSX Venture composite index edged up 3.68 points to finish at 1,799.72.

In New York, stocks fell on Tuesday as weakness in chipmakers weighed on the market and investors locked in gains from the prior session’s rally.

Weakness in semiconductor stocks dragged down the Nasdaq Composite index 37.79 points to 2,116.04. The Dow Jones industrial average slipped 92.59 points to 10,609.92. The S&P 500 slipped 11.32 points to 1,144.05.

In economic news, the U.S. Conference Board said its monthly index of consumer confidence rose in January. But the number of people saying jobs were hard to find was worse than a year ago, and the number of people saying jobs were plentiful also declined.

The U.S. consumer confidence report helped to lift the Canadian dollar despite a weak reading on domestic retail sales.

The loonie finished at US76.62¢, up from US76.09¢ at Monday’s close.