Toronto stocks were hovering around the 9,000 level in mixed trading Tuesday, At midday, the S&P/TSX composite index was up 5.82 points, or 0.06%, at 8,997.30. Volume was 132 million shares.

Light trading is expected this week with the U.S. Thanksgiving Day holiday on Thursday.

The heavily weighed financial group was off 0.71%, led by Bank of Montreal, which reported fourth-quarter earnings.

BMO shares fell $1.25, or 2.16%, to $56.60. Royal, Scotia, CIBC and TD were also lower.

Technology issues were down 0.20% after rebounding late Monday.

Energy stocks were up 1.58%, as the price of U.S. light crude rose $1.39 to US$50.03 a barrel ahead of Wednesday’s U.S. inventory data and a long holiday weekend.

Canadian Natural Resources was up 2.47% at $50.21and Nexen 2.45% to $52.25.

Gold miners lost much of Monday’s gains, falling 1.1% as the precious metal eased back to $448.

Health care stocks climbed 0.52% as Patheon shares gained 8.5% to $8.30. Patheon is paying US$350 million in cash, stock and assumed debt to acquire Mova Pharmaceutical Corp., a U.S. prescription drug contract company based in Puerto Rico.

Patheon said the deal is expected to add “significantly” to earnings starting in 2005.

In other earnings news, George Weston said third-quarter net profit sagged 21% as a rise in sales was spoiled by a $44 million restructuring charge in its American bakery operations. Its shares advanced $1.58, or 1.55%, to $103.65.

The junior S&P/TSX Venture composite index slipped 9.14 points, or 0.54%, to 1,696.70. Volume at midday was 47 million shares.

In New York, stocks fell on Tuesday as crude prices drifted above US$50 a barrel and tech bellwether Intel dropped after an investment bank lowered its rating on shares of the world’s largest chip maker.

At midday, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 43.30 points, or 0.41%, at 10,446.12. The S&P 500 was down 4.94 points, or 0.42%, at 1,172.30. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index was down 14.89 points, or 0.71%, at 2,070.30.