TORONTO - The Toronto stock market was ahead slightly midday Tuesday with mining and energy stocks improving after early losses, while shares of tech heavyweight Research In Motion dropped after investors had a peek at its latest device. The S&P/TSX composite index was up 9.3 points to 12,199.9 while the TSX Venture Exchange lost 1.32 points to 1,693.31. The Canadian dollar was down 0.36 of a cent to 96.89 cents US. Research In Motion Ltd. (TSX:RIM) (NASDAQ:RIMM) was down $1.77 or 3.5 per cent to $47.90 in Toronto after the BlackBerry maker showed off its new PlayBook tablet for the first time on Monday. RIM is set to launch the device early in 2011 as its answer to Apple's iPad. “But I would have been much happier if they had come along and said we’re going to be ready for the Christmas shopping season,” said Don Reed, president and CEO of Franklin Templeton Investment Corp. “If they have their prototype out there, and if it works well, then gee, isn’t this a period when everybody would be banging down the doors to go and buy it?” The base metals component helped pull the TSX up from the lows of the session, rising 1.18 per cent as the December copper contract on the Nymex shook off early losses to move up two cents at US$3.62 a pound. Quadra FNX Mining (TSX:QUX) was up 18 cents to $15.13 while HudBay Minerals (TSX:HBM) declined 43 cents to $14.32. The gold sector was up 1.09 per cent as bullion prices added to Monday’s latest record close, up $8.30 to US$1,306.90 an ounce. Gold has closed at a series of record highs during September as investors look for a hedge against fears of inflation and U.S. currency weakness. Barrick Gold Corp. (TSX:ABX) improved by 47 cents to $47.48 while Kinross Gold Corp. (TSX:K) was ahead 29 cents to $19.53. The energy sector was little changed even as oil prices shed early losses and the November oil contract on the New York Mercantile Exchange moved up nine cents to US$76.61 a barrel. Canadian Natural Resources (TSX:CNQ) added eight cents to $34.31. Traders also awaited the latest U.S. supply figures for clues about the strength of demand for crude. Inventories likely rose 2.2 million barrels last week, according to analysts surveyed by Platts, the energy information arm of McGraw-Hill Cos. Transportation stocks helped push the industrials group down 0.4 per cent. Canadian National Railways (TSX:CNR) lost 53 cents to $65.41. Buyers were discouraged after the U.S. Conference Board said that its Consumer Confidence Index for August dropped to its lowest point since February amid escalating job worries. The index came in at 48.5, down from a revised 53.2 in August and much worse than the 52.5 reading that economists surveyed by Thomson Reuters had expected. "The larger-than-expected drop in consumer confidence in September serves as a reminder that the consumer remains pessimistic amid still damaged balance sheets and weak labour markets," said RBC Economics economist Nathan Janzen. "We expect hiring to pickup going forward, however the pace will likely remain sufficient to generate only modest improvements in the unemployment rate in the near-term. As a result, wile we expect continued growth in consumer spending, the pace of improvement will likely remain moderate relative to historical recoveries." European debt concerns also weighed markets after Moody’s Investor Services cut its rating on Anglo Irish Bank Corp. by three notches. Also, the cost of insuring Irish sovereign debt against default rose significantly as concerns about the cost to Ireland of supporting its banking system continue to worry markets. Unconfirmed market rumours say that Moody’s is also preparing a downgrade of Spain’s debt was also weighing on investors. New York's Dow Jones industrial average moved 1.5 points higher to 10,813.6. The Nasdaq composite index fell 5.07 points to 2,364.7 while the S&P 500 index lost 1.55 points to 1,140.6. In other corporate news, Nexen Inc. (TSX:NXY) said Monday that its Appomattox project in the Gulf of Mexico has more than 250 million barrels of oil equivalent. The company made the estimate of the deep water project after drilling an exploration well and two appraisal sidetracks. Its shares were up seven cents to $20.73. Drug developer Endo Pharmaceuticals Holdings Inc. said Tuesday it is buying Qualitest Pharmaceuticals for US$1.2 billion in a move to diversify its business and strengthen its position in the generic and pain drug markets. Toyota Motor Corp., the world’s biggest automaker, is getting into the minicar market. The company said Tuesday that it would expand its product line to include minivehicles made by subsidiary Daihatsu Motor Co. starting in stages from autumn 2011 in Japan. Earlier in Asia, Japan’s Nikkei 225 stock average slid 1.1 per cent, South Korea’s Kospi lost 0.3 per cent, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng retreated one per cent and he Shanghai Composite Index fell 0.6 per cent. London's FTSE 100 index declined 0.18 per cent, Frankfurt's DAX moved back 0.32 per cent while the Paris CAC 40 index ticked 0.33 per cent lower.

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