TSX, major U.S. markets continue steep decline

TORONTO – The Toronto Stock Exchange continued its decline Friday morning, reaching levels that it hasn’t seen in months.

The S&P/TSX composite index was down 65.19 points at 13,671.80 shortly after North American stock markets began trading Friday.

On Thursday, the index closed below 14,000 for the first time since Dec. 17, when it ended the trading day at 13,861.52.

Major U.S. markets also continued to decline Friday.

The Dow Jones industrial average was down 159.31 points at 16,831.38 , the Nasdaq index 51.46 points to 4,826.03, and the S&P 500 declined 19.15 points to 2,016.58.

The loonie traded at 76.39 cents US, down 0.06 of a U.S. cent from Thursday’s close.

On the commodity markets, the December gold contract rose $2.70 to US$1,155.90 an ounce, the October crude contract was down 17 cents at US$41.15 a barrel and the October contract for natural gas was down four cents at US$2.71.