Canada's benchmark stock index lost ground on Monday, weighed by energy stocks that retreated with oil and to a lesser extent by gold miners hurt by lower prices for bullion.

The energy group fell 3.7 per cent, as U.S. crude fell to a three-month low below $43 a barrel amid worries about a global supply glut and economic headwind.

The most influential weights on the index included its biggest oil and gas producers, with Canadian Natural Resources Ltd shedding 4.4 per cent to $39.74 and Suncor Energy Inc falling 3.3 per cent to $34.82.

"Until someone or something can make me understand why oil will go back to $60, $70, $80 a barrel I'm staying clear," said Allan Small, a senior investment advisor at HollisWealth.

Major gold miners also moved lower, with Barrick Gold Corp down 3 per cent at $26.21 and Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd off 4.1 per cent at $67.78, as the price of bullion retreated ahead of central bank meetings in the United States and Japan.

The materials group, which includes precious and base metals miners and fertilizer companies, lost 1.9 per cent.

The world's major economies pledged at a G20 meeting this past weekend to use all policy tools available to boost growth.

The loonie lost 0.43 of a U.S. cent to 75.64 cents U.S., as the September crude contract fell $1.06 at US$43.13 per barrel.

 

The Dow Jones industrial average .DJI dipped 0.42 per cent to end at 18,493.06 points and the S&P 500 .SPX lost 0.3 per cent to 2,168.48.The Nasdaq Composite .IXIC edged down 0.05 per cent to 5,097.63.

The Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index ended down 102.56 points, or 0.70 per cent, at 14,498.10. The index notched its highest close in a year on Friday.

Six of the index's 10 main groups finished in negative territory and there were two falling stocks for every gainer.

The most influential gainers on the index included Canadian National Railway Co, up 0.9 per cent at $83.99.

The railway reported slightly lower earnings after the bell as a decline in shipments cut into revenue, but said it expects volumes to improve in the months ahead.

Rogers Communications Inc, which reported strong earnings last week, added 1.7 percent to C$57.80.