The S&P/TSX Composite Index was down about 70 points Thursday, while U.S. markets posted small gains, with markets rallying for most of the day before sputtering in the last trading hour. 

The S&P/TSX Composite Index was down 72.86 points, or 0.37 per cent, at 19,459.92.

In New York, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 75.14 points at 32,105.25. The S&P 500 Index was up 11.75 points at 3,948.72, while the Nasdaq Composite was up 117.44 points at 11,787.40.

The Canadian dollar traded for 73.15 cents U.S., compared with 72.93 cents U.S. on Wednesday.

The May crude contract was down 94 cents at US$69.96 per barrel and the May natural gas contract was down two cents at US$2.28 per mm/BTU.

The April gold contract was up US$46.30 at US$1,995.90 an ounce and the May copper contract was up eight cents at US$4.12 a pound.