TSX recap: Index finishes 0.8% lower amid broad-based losses

Investor hopes for a "Santa Claus rally" this December were dampened yet again Friday, as broad-based declines capped a week of losses on North American markets.                

The S&P/TSX Composite Index was down 157.35 points, or 0.8 per cent, at 19,443.28.

In New York, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 281.76 points at 32,920.46. The S&P 500 Index was down 43.39 points at 3,852.36, while the Nasdaq Composite was down 105.12 points at 10,705.41.

The Canadian dollar traded for 73.06 cents U.S. compared with 73.31 cents U.S. on Thursday.

The February crude contract was down US$1.69 at US$74.46 per barrel and the January natural gas contract was down 37 cents at US$6.60 per mmBTU.

The February gold contract was up US$12.40 at US$1,800.20 an ounce and the March copper contract was down one-and-a-half cents at US$3.76 a pound.