Canadian Stocks Weighed Down By Geopolitical News -- Canadian Commentary

(RTTNews) - Canadian stocks finished Tuesday's session slightly lower. Geopolitical worries stemming from the attacks in Belgium cast a shadow over the session. Lower oil prices also weighed on the market.

Stocks fell in the early going, but reversed course in the afternoon and flirted with the flat line late in the session. Selling returned in the final hour of trading and the market closed with a modest decline.

The S&P/TSX Composite Index finished lower by 67.60 points, or 0.5 percent, to finish at 13,493.49. The slip more than reversed gains posted in the previous session.

The attack in Belgium, which saw more than 30 people killed and more than 100 people injured, was the main focus early in the day. Two explosions occurred at the Zaventem airport just outside the city and were followed by an explosion at a downtown subway station near the European quarter.

Oil prices finished lower after an uncertain session. In its first day as the front-month contract, crude for May delivery edged down $0.07 to $41.45 a barrel. The contract reached as low as $40.77 a barrel during the day, but also spent some time above the unchanged mark.

Gold prices were up on the day, as worries about terrorism drew money to safe-haven investments. Gold for April delivery climbed $4.40 to $1248.60 an ounce but ended the session well off its high of $1,260.90 an ounce.

In the U.S., the major averages finished mixed. The Nasdaq made gains, edging higher by 0.3 percent. However, the Dow and S&P 500 edged lower.