A rather uninspired trading session has the TSE 300 down 20 points at midday to 7,755.

Volume is strong at 98.5 million shares, with buying edging the selling by five to four. Advancers hold an eight to seven edge on losers.

Energy and paper stocks are leading the way down today. Techs, auto parts, miners, transports and pipelines are sliding, too, but none are down as much as 1%.

Golds are strong today. Media stocks and merchandisers have some gains to boast about also, but there are no big winners either.

Bombardier is the big mover today, down about 5% in active trading, on news of negative reports by investment analysts.

Nortel Networks is sliding, but it is down just 0.5%. Celestica is weaker, as is ATI, and Geac Computer.

724 Solutions is taking a big hit, down 12% on news that it anticipates that its pro forma loss per share for the fourth fiscal quarter will be 23¢ to 25¢. Pro forma loss for the fiscal year is expected to be $1.16 to $1.18 compared with $1.05 in the previous year.

Other losers include Domtar, Enserco Energy Services, and Aber Diamond.

On the upside, Franco Nevada is leading the way higher as industry consolidation comes together in the golds. Barrick is up in active trading, too. Kinross is strongly higher, as are Glamis Gold and Meridian Gold.

Banks are a bit stronger today, with beaten up Bank of Nova Scotia gaining 0.8% today. TD Bank is up in active trading. Fairfax Financial is stronger today, too.

Other gainers include Sherritt, Northgate Exploration, Microcell, Metro, and Wireless Matrix.

In other news, Mosaid Technologies says that Dr. Richard C. Foss has retired as its chairman. He will be succeeded as chairman by Thomas Csathy, who has been a director and consultant to Mosaid since 1991, and vice chairman since 1992.

On the M&A front, Weyerhaeuser has extended its $55-per-share cash tender offer for all of the outstanding common stock of Willamette Industries Inc. until February 27. So far 64% of Willamette shareholders have tendered their shares to the offer.

Also, the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool has divested of its interest in three livestock businesses, which were held by the pool and through Heartland Livestock Services. Pound-Maker Agventures Ltd., Saskatoon Livestock Sales Ltd. and Medicine Hat Feeding Company were sold to the shareholders at each respective company.

Finally, Hudson’s Bay may buy back up to $10 million of its outstanding equity subordinated debentures.

In New York, what looked like an opening rally fizzled at the start. Stocks have been mixed all day. The Dow Jones industrial average is currently down about 25 points to 10,068. The Nasdaq composite index is flat, down less than a full point to 2,044. The S&P 500 is up half a point to 1,156.

The S&P/CDNX composite index is posting a lonely five point gain so far today, up to 1100. Volume is strong at 19.5 million shares. The top trader is Jannock Properties, which is up 5% to $1.05 on 1.7 million shares.