A five-day winning streak for the Toronto Stock Exchange came to an end on Thursday, as resource stocks weighed down the benchmark index.

The S&P/TSX composite index shed 27.37 points, or 0.2%, to close at 11,528.23.

Declines in commodity prices pulled the materials group down 1.4%. Gold for December delivery, the most active contract, fell US$6.70, or 0.6% to finish at US$1,013.50 an ounce on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange.

The sub-gold index plunged 2.3%.

Shares of Iamgold Corp. tumbled 5.9% to $15.76 and Goldcorp Inc. fell 1.2% to $44.97.

Also lower was Quadra Mining Ltd., down 4.5% to $13.10, and Thompson Creek Metals Company Inc., down 4.2% to $13.26.

Shares of Minefinders Corporation Ltd. tumbled more than 6% after it announced plans to raise more than $66 million in a bought-deal financing. Minefinders’ stock closed at $10.66, down 69 cents.

Higher for the day was Agrium Inc., up $1.18, or 2.1%, to $56.87, and Potash Corp., up 2.9% to $103.25.

The energy group dipped 0.4% as oil futures finished slightly lower. Crude for October delivery finished down 4 cents, or 0.1%, at US$72.47 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Shares of Petrobank Energy and Resources Ltd. fell 1.7% to $42.62, and Pacific Rubiales Energy Corp. dropped 4.1% to $13.04.

Talisman Energy Inc. fell 1.5% to $19.12.

Financial sector stocks comprised one of the only groups on the TSX to advance on Thursday, edging up 0.5%.

Gainers included Manulife Financial Corp., up 2.3% to $22.15, and Great-West Lifeco Inc., up 1.7% to $25.75.

Bank of Montreal’s stock gained 1.1% to close at $53.75.

Lower for the day was Canadian Western Bank, down 1.2% to $19.97.

A mid-day drop in junior stocks led to losses for the S&P/TSX Venture composite index. It closed at 1,272.74, down 11.80 points, or 0.9%.

The loonie retreated by less than a fifth of a cent to close at US93.74¢.

In New York, U.S. stock market indices finished with mild losses on Thursday, as financial sector stocks dropped.

The Dow Jones industrial average fell 7.79 points, or less than 0.1%, to end at 9,783.92.

The S&P 500 index fell 3.27 points, or 0.3%, to close at 1,065.49.

The Nasdaq composite index shed 6.40 points, or 0.3%, to 2,126.75.

Shares of Oracle Corp. dropped 2.8% to close at US$21.52 on the New York Stock Exchange after the business software company reported late on Wednesday that revenues in the quarter ended Aug. 31 dropped 5% over last year.

IE