The Toronto Stock Exchange was down for a second straight day Wednesday as some disappointing economic data from the United States outweighed surprises to the high side in Canadian earnings. At midday, the S&P/TSX composite index was down about 25 points, or 0.2 per cent, to 11,690. Losses were led by energy stocks. Gains in materials, the biggest detriment on a day earlier, limited overall losses. On the New York Mercantile Exchange, crude oil was down 38 cents to $77.12 U.S. a barrel, while gold rose $5.20 to $1,167 U.S. an ounce. The Canadian dollar was up one basis point to 96.52 cents U.S.. Better-than-expected earnings came from companies such as Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. and Enbridge Inc., though much of the attention on the latter was due to an oil spill in Michigan coming from one of its lines. But investors seemed shaken about the fact U.S. durable goods were down one per cent last month, despite the fact economist were expecting flat results or a moderate increase. On U.S. markets, the Dow Jones industrial average was down about 25 points, or 0.2 per cent, to 10,515 at midday. The Nasdaq composite index fell around 15 points, or 0.7 per cent, to 2,275. Markets were mixed in Europe with losses in the U.K. and Germany, and gains in France. Asian markets were up, highlighted by a 2.7 per cent surge on Japan's Nikkei index.

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