Stock markets in Canada and the U.S. finished mainly flat on Wednesday.

The S&P/TSX composite index finished at 10,912.17, down 8.36 points, or less than 0.1%.

The materials group fell by 0.5% on Wednesday, while the sub-gold index finished just fractionally lower.

On the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange, gold for December delivery, the most active contract, settled at US$945.80 an ounce, down 20 cents.

Shares of Thompson Creek Metals Company Inc. tumbled 7.8% to $13.82 and Quadra Mining Ltd. fell 2.3% to $11.24.

Shares of Eldorado Gold Corp. dropped nearly 5% after the company said it has agreed to swap about $1.8 billion in stock for all remaining shares of Australia’s Sino Gold Mining Ltd. Eldorado shares finished at $11.38.

The financials group finished marginally lower as investors took in disappointing third quarter earnings from CIBC.

Shares of CIBC tumbled 5.3% on the news that the bank earned profits of $434 million in the quarter ended July 31. Its stock finished at $65.01, down $3.64.

Also lower on Wednesday was IGM Financial Inc., down 2.2% to $41.90, and Power Financial Corp., off 2% to $29.36.

Meanwhile, shares of Bank of Montreal continued to climb one day after reporting better-than-expected third quarter results. BMO’s stock added $1.35, or 2.6%, to end at $53.65.

The energy group was flat on Wednesday despite a decline in oil futures. Crude for October delivery dropped 62 cents, or 0.9%, to end at US$71.43 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Higher for the day was Crescent Point Energy Corp., up 2.9% to $36.94, and Pacific Rubiales Energy Corp., up 2.3% to $12.82.

Others declined, including TriStar Oil & Gas Ltd., down 2.2% to $15.26, and Nexen Inc., down 1.5% to $22.40.

The S&P/TSX Venture composite index also finished with little change on Wednesday, edging up 2.42 points, or 0.2%, to close at 1,186.09.

The Canadian dollar declined by a cent to close at US91.09¢.

The main stock market indices in New York were mainly unchanged at Wednesday’s close, despite the release of positive economic data showing growth in U.S. home sales.

The Dow Jones industrial average gained 4.23 points to 9,543.52.

The S&P 500 index finished at 1,028.12, up just a small fraction of a point.

The Nasdaq composite index rose by a fifth of a point to finish at 2,024.43.

IE