Canada's main stock index held firm Friday, buoyed by sturdy energy and financial sectors but offset by dips in other areas, while U.S. markets fell.

The S&P/TSX Composite Index nudged up 31 points, or 0.15 per cent, to 20,219.19.

In New York, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 336.99 points at 32,816.92. The S&P 500 Index was down 42.28 points at 3,970.04, while the Nasdaq Composite was down 195.46 points, or 1.7 per cent, at 11,394.94.

The Canadian dollar traded for 73.41 cents U.S., compared with 73.81 cents U.S. on Thursday.

The April crude contract was up 93 cents at US$76.32 per barrel and the April natural gas contract was up 12 cents at US$2.55 mm/BTU.

The April gold contract was down US$9.70 at US$1,817.10 an ounce and the May copper contract was down 10 cents at US$3.95 a pound.