The Toronto Stock Exchange was little changed on Tuesday, as gains in materials stocks were offset by energy group losses.

The S&P/TSX composite index finished down 15.27 points, or 0.1%, at 10,588.79.

Energy stocks dropped 2.3% as oil futures declined slightly. Crude oil for July delivery slipped 3 cents to end at US$68.55 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Shares of Suncor Energy Inc. tumbled $2.07, or 5.2%, to $37.93 and Petro-Canada fell 5% to close at $47.38.

Talisman Energy Inc. fell 3.4% to $17.49.

Shares of Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. also retreated, falling $1.58, or 2.3%, to $66.58.

Meanwhile, the materials group advanced 1.2% on Tuesday as gold futures rallied. Gold for August delivery gained US$4.40 to close at US$984.40 an ounce on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange.

The sub-gold index jumped 2.1%.

Higher for the day was Goldcorp Inc., up 3.1% to $42.20 and Barrick Gold Corp., higher by 1.7% to $41.10.

Ending lower was Potash Corp., off 1.2% to $125.99, and Agrium Inc., down $1.31, or 2.4%, to $52.93.

Financial stocks gained 0.8% during Tuesday’s trading.

Shares of IGM Financial Inc. jumped $1.77, or 4.5%, to finish at $40.82.

National Bank of Canada gained 2.1% to $52.54 and Sun Life Financial Inc. rose 2.2% to $30.52.

Also higher was CI Financial Corp., up $1.11, or 6.1%, to close at $19.21.

The junior S&P/TSX Venture index also finished roughly flat on Tuesday, gaining 1.19 points, or 0.1%, at 1,141.74.

The Canadian dollar gained more than three-quarters of a cent to close at US92.51¢.

In New York, U.S. stocks ended slightly higher on Tuesday after promising news that pending sales of existing homes rose in April for the third month in a row.

The Dow Jones industrial average advanced 19.43 points, or 0.2%, to end at 8,740.87.

The S&P 500 index gained 1.87 points, or 0.2%, to close at 944.74.

The Nasdaq Composite index gained 8.12 points, or 0.4%, to close at 1,836.80.

IE