Toronto Stock Exchange and Dow Jones

Nasdaq composite index: Energy stocks on the TSX took a beating, retreating 1.67 per cent as the March contract for benchmark North American crude slipped $1.13 to US$29.64 a barrel, according to CTV. In New York, markets were mixed, with the Dow Jones industrial average falling 21.44 points to 16,391.99 and the broader S&P 500 off 0.05 of a point at 1,917.78. The Toronto Stock Exchange S&P/TSX index lost 117.96 points to 12,813.40. Meanwhile, the Nasdaq composite index gained 16.89 points to 4,504.43 as tech stocks strengthened. The last time retail sales saw a month-over-month drop of that magnitude was April 2010, when they fell 2.3 per cent, the agency said. In economic news, Statistics Canada reported that retail sales dropped 2.2 per cent month over month to $43.2 billion in December after having advanced 1.7 per cent in November. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.