FRANK GUNN/The Canadian Press
North American markets opened with mixed results Wednesday with little on the economic calendar and the focus continuing to stay on any unfolding developments regarding Syria.
The S&P/TSX composite index fell 24.51 points to 12,799.97. The Canadian dollar was up 0.05 of a cent to 96.76 cents US.
The financial markets have settled down somewhat after President Barack Obama said that the U.S. will back down from a military strike on Syria, after the Middle East country agreed to a Russian proposal to hand over its chemical weapons. In a televised address late Tuesday, Obama said the American military will continue to stay prepared to attack if Syria reneges on its promise.
The development followed weeks of tensions after the U.S. threatened military action against Syria for an alleged sarin gas attack on Aug. 21 that killed 1,429 people in a Damascus suburb.
U.S. indexes were higher as the Dow Jones industrial index surged 19.58 points to 15,210.64, the Nasdaq was down 15.22 points to 3,1713.80 and the S&P 500 fell 1.92 points to 1,682.07.
The October crude contract jumped 32 cents to $107.71 (U.S.). December bullion fell $1.20 to $1,362.80 an ounce, while December copper got ahead two cents to $3.28 a pound.