TORONTO - The Toronto stock market was little changed Friday with the main index weighed down by a sharp decline in Research In Motion Ltd. shares after the BlackBerry maker delivered a disappointing outlook. The S&P/TSX composite index dipped 11.91 points to 14,017.45 while the TSX Venture Exchange gained 6.81 points to 2,311.38. The Canadian dollar was higher ahead of the expected fall of the Conservative government later in the day, up 0.05 of a cent to 102.49 cents US. Research In Motion (TSX:RIM) reported after the market close Thursday that quarterly earnings surged 32 per cent on strong sales of the company’s BlackBerry smartphones. Earnings beat analyst expectations but its forecast for the current quarter missed expectations and the market heavyweight's stock fell $6.14 or 9.83 per cent to $56.35. Elsewhere, the TSX was positive amid an ongoing nuclear crisis in Japan and Western military action in Libya. The energy sector rose 0.25 per cent as oil prices hovered around US$105 a barrel as political upheaval in the Middle East and signs of strong global demand keep crude near two-year highs. The May contract on the New York Mercantile Exchange shed 45 cents to US$105.15 a barrel. Crude prices have jumped 25 per cent since protests against Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi that began in mid-February escalated into a rebellion and shut down most of the OPEC nation’s 1.6 million barrels per day of crude output. There are also worries that unrest could spread to oil-rich countries in the Persian Gulf such as Saudi Arabia. Recent signs of strong crude demand in the U.S. and China have helped push prices higher. Chinese oil demand rose 10 per cent in February from a year earlier and U.S. gasoline inventories plunged last week, suggesting consumers haven't cut back driving despite higher fuel costs. Canadian Natural Resources (TSX:CNQ) rose 17 cents to $47.93 while Imperial Oil (TSX:IMO) rose 27 cents to $49.48. The base metals sector was slightly higher as metal prices also advanced with the May copper contract in New York up two cents to US$4.44 a pound. Quadra FNX Mining Ltd. (TSX:QUX) rose eight cents to $13.73 while Teck Resources (TSX:TCK.B) eased 21 cents to $53.18. The gold sector was up 0.54 per cent while bullion was flat as the April gold contract on the Nymex dipped a dime to US$1,434.80 an ounce. Barrick Gold Corp. (TSX:ABX) improved by 23 cents to $50.55 while Goldcorp Inc. (TSX:G) climbed 31 cents to $47.96. U.S. markets were also higher amid data showing the economy grew a little faster at the end of 2010 than the government had previously estimated, boosted by more inventory building and business investment in plants and equipment. But rising oil prices will likely limit growth this year. The Dow Jones industrial average gained 26.22 points to 12,196.78 as the Commerce Department said the economy, as measured by the gross domestic product, grew at an annual rate of 3.1 per cent in the October-December quarter. That represents an upward revision from last month’s 2.8 per cent estimate for the same period. The Nasdaq composite index added 5.7 points to 2,742.12 while the S&P 500 index edged up 0.92 of a point to 1,310.58. In other corporate news, database software maker Oracle Corp. said Thursday its net income rose 78 per cent to US$2.1 billion in the fiscal third quarter. Results were helped by a rise in new software license sales and the benefit of three full months of revenue from Sun Microsystems, a company it acquired last year. Yellow Media Inc. (TSX:YLO) has reached an agreement to sell Trader Corp., owner of Auto Trader magazine and other publications, for $745 million to global private equity firm Apax Partners. Yellow Media has been transforming itself into a digital company to extend its reach with consumers and advertisers and its shares rose 32 cents to $5.61. CryptoLogic Ltd. (TSX:CRY) has launched a strategic review that may result in a sale of the company, which develops online betting games and Internet casino software. Based on Thursday’s closing stock price in Toronto, where the company originated, CryptoLogic has a market value of about C$15 million. Its shares gained 16 cents to $1.36. In Asia, Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 closed up 1.1 per cent with automakers rising following recent steep losses that resulted from a catastrophic earthquake and tsunami that struck on Mar. 11. Still, Japan continued to grapple with a nuclear crisis at its heavily-damaged Fukushima Dai-ichi power plant. While a complete nuclear meltdown was avoided, Japanese companies still face a myriad of challenges in resuming normal output: rolling electricity blackouts, the possibility of aftershocks, anxiety over elevated levels of radiation, and restrictions on Japanese food products from the region affected by radiation. Elsewhere, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index rose 1.1 per cent, South Korea’s Kospi moved 0.9 per cent higher while Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.9 per cent. London's FTSE 100 index inched up 0.05 per cent, Frankfurt's DAX was up 0.02 per cent while the Paris CAC 40 was unchanged.

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