Canada's main stock index moved lower Thursday amid weakness in industrials, technology and battery metals, while U.S. markets also fell, led by losses in technology. 

The S&P/TSX Composite Index closed down 72.54 points, or 0.38 per cent, at 18,875.31.

In New York, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 251.63 points at 32,784.30. The S&P 500 Index was down 49.54 points at 4,137.23, while the Nasdaq Composite was down 225.62 points at 12,595.61.

The Canadian dollar traded for 72.33 cents U.S. compared with 72.56 cents U.S. on Wednesday.

The December crude oil contract was down US$2.18 at US$83.21 per barrel and the December natural gas contract was up 10 cents at US$3.48 per mm/BTU.

The December gold contract was up US$2.50 at US$1,997.40 an ounce and the December copper contract was down a penny at US$3.58 a pound.