Miners lead TSX lower after France downgraded

TORONTO (Reuters) - Canada's main stock index was lower on Tuesday, led down by shares of miners and other resource companies as a downgrade of France's credit rating weighed on investor sentiment.

Moody's stripped France of its triple-A sovereign credit rating, citing an uncertain fiscal outlook and deteriorating economy.

"It reinforces the point that Europe has not solved its problems. The bad news continues," said Gavin Graham, president of Graham Investment Strategy.

"The growth oriented sectors - whether it is energy, resources, industrials - are all getting thumped because people are worried about the outlook for global growth."

At midmorning, the Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index <.gsptse> was down 20.18 points, or 0.17 percent, at 12,019.52.

The index's materials sector was down 0.42 percent, leading the decline. Goldcorp Inc fell 0.96 percent to C$40.22 and fellow miner Barrick Gold Corp declined 0.56 percent to C$34.

Energy stocks slipped 0.22 percent, tracking lower oil prices. Cenovus Energy Inc fell 1.21 percent to C$32.59, and Suncor Energy Inc shed 0.37 percent to C$32.47.

Brent crude was down 70 cents at $111.30 per barrel, as ample supplies outweighed worries over violence in the Middle East.

Royal Bank of Canada was up 0.64 percent at C$56.89, lifting the financial sector. Financials, up 0.13 percent, played the biggest role of any sector in keeping the market from falling further.

BlackBerry maker Research In Motion Ltd also supported the market, rising 3.96 percent to C$9.97. The stock gained after Jefferies upgraded the company ahead of the launch of RIM's BlackBerry 10 devices at the end of January.

Market moves were limited with many traders and investors awaiting a speech by U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke at midday that may offer clues about the Fed's intentions on more monetary stimulus.

"People are trying to get a handle on the outlook for 2013," Graham said. Bernanke's speech can give us a sense of how the U.S. economy is doing, he added.

(Editing by Peter Galloway)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/tsx-may-open-lower-french-credit-downgrade-134552036--sector.html

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