Credit: REUTERS/CHRIS HELGRENUpdates prices, sectors
July 19 (Reuters) - Canada's main stock index was on course for its worst session in nearly five months on Monday, hit by a plunge in energy stocks as crude prices retreated on an OPEC+ decision to boost output.
* The energy sector .SPTTEN dropped 2.8% as U.S. crude CLc1 prices were down 3.7% a barrel, while Brent crude LCOc1 lost 3.4%. O/R
* At 9:37 a.m. ET (13:37 GMT), the Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index .GSPTSE was down 246.07 points, or 1.23%, at 19,739.47.
* The commodity-heavy index was also weighed down by a 1% fall in the materials sector .GSPTTMT, which includes precious and base metals miners and fertilizer companies, as gold futures GCc1 ticked 0.1% lower to $1,812.5 an ounce. GOL/
* The financials sector .SPTTFS slipped 1.5%, while the industrials sector .GSPTTIN fell 1.1%.
* Lumber provider Interfor Corp IFP.TO fell 6.2%, the most on the TSX, and the second-biggest decliner was miner First Quantum Minerals Ltd FM.TO, down 6%.
* On the TSX, 29 issues were higher, while 199 issues declined for a 6.86-to-1 ratio to the downside, with 21.54 million shares traded.
* The largest percentage gainers on the TSX were OceanaGold Corp
* The most heavily traded shares by volume were Royal Bank of Canada
* The TSX posted no new 52-week highs and no new lows.
* Across all Canadian issues there were 13 new 52-week highs and 22 new lows, with total volume of 49.78 million shares.
(Reporting by Amal S in Bengaluru; Editing by Aditya Soni)
((Amal.S@thomsonreuters.com; within U.S. +1 646 223 8780; outside U.S. +91 80 6749 3677;))
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