TORONTO -- The Toronto Stock Exchange opened lower today, hit by weakness in the mining sector.

The S&P/TSX composite index was down 43.41 points at 14,599.43 in early trading.

The move came as the July contract for gold was down US$22.40 at $1,109.40.

The August contract for crude oil was down 24 cents at US$50.65, while the August contract for natural gas was down seven cents at US$2.80.

In the U.S., the Dow Jones industrial average gained 32.87 points at 18,119.32 and the Nasdaq added 12.54 points to total 5,222.68. The S&P 500 climbed 2.58 points to 2,129.22.

The Canadian dollar was down 0.05 of a cent at 76.95 cents US.