Canada's main stock index fell almost 300 points Friday after a surprise reversal Thursday, pulled down by losses in energy and base metals, while the U.S. markets fell at a steeper rate.

The S&P/TSX Composite Index was down 287.28 points, or 1.54 per cent, at 18,326.35.

In New York, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 403.89 points at 29,634.83. The S&P 500 index was down 86.84 points, or more than two per cent, at 3,583.07, while the Nasdaq Composite was down 327.76 points, or more than three per cent, at 10,321.39.

The Canadian dollar traded for 72.17 cents U.S. compared with 72.43 cents U.S. on Thursday.

The November crude contract was down US$3.50 at US$85.61 per barrel and the November natural gas contract was down 28.8 cents at US$6.45 per mmBTU.

The December gold contract was down US$28.10 at US$1,648.90 an ounce and the December copper contract was down 1.7 cents at US$3.42 a pound.