Toronto stocks gave up early gains and closed slightly lower on Monday.

The S&P/TSX composite index closed down 13.22 points, or 0.1%, at 12,705.77

Six of the 10 TSX main groups were lower but the heavyweight energy group, which comprises about 25% of the overall market, gained 0.7% to give the index a relatively flat finish.

Energy shares rose even as the price of U.S. crude resumed its slide amid robust stockpiles, with cold winter weather limiting some losses.

U.S. February crude fell 86 to US$51.13 a barrel after rising above US$53 earlier in the session.

On the TSX Nexen Inc. rose $2.55, or 3.8%, to $69.34 and Petro-Canada gained 65¢, or 1.5%, to finish at $43.35.

Oil cushioned a 0.5% drop in the materials group.

Teck Cominco gained up $1.13, or 1.4%, at $82, while Lundin Mining Corp. fell 54¢, or 1.4%, at $39.23.

The February bullion contract on the Nymex declined $2.30 to US$634.10, taking the Toronto gold sector down 0.1%.

Goldcorp Inc. fell 15¢ to US$29.80 after receiving all permits for the Penasquito project, billed as the largest mine in Mexico.

The junior S&P/TSX Venture composite index gained 4.45 points to finish at 2,846.88.

The Canadian dollar slipped 0.77 of a cent to close at US84.55¢.

U.S. stocks slid on Monday as investors sold off shares of technology firms.

The Dow Jones industrial average recorded its worst one-day%age decline since late November.

The Dow fell 88.37 points, or 0.70%, to end at 12,477.16. The S&P 500 declined 7.55 points, or 0.53%, to finish at 1,422.95. The Nasdaq composite index lost 20.24 points, or 0.83%, to close at 2,431.07.