Canada's main stock index fell the most in one month on Wednesday, retreating from a 19-month high the previous day, with resource shares leading a broad-based sell-off as oil and gold fell after the US Federal Reserve raised interest rates. The Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index closed down 188.09 points, or 1.22 percent, at 15,197.18.
It was the sharpest drop since Nov. 11. The energy group fell 2.3 percent, while the materials group, which includes precious and base metals miners and fertilizer companies, lost 2.8 percent. Barrick Gold Corp tumbled 5.4 percent to C$19.54 and Canadian Natural Resources Ltd declined 2.4 percent to C$44.77.Still, the index has surged 32 percent since hitting a three-year low in January, with an agreement among major oil producers to cut output and the prospect of US economic stimulus giving the rally some recent additional momentum.