(Adds details, prices)
* TSX down 37.25 points, or 0.27 percent, at 13,726.53
* Investors pause, wait on Fed decision
TORONTO, Sept 17 (Reuters) - Canada's main stock slipped in
lackluster trade ahead of a pivotal U.S. Federal Reserve
interest rate decision due later on Thursday.
The Fed will announce the outcome of its policy meeting and
release its latest economic projections at 2 p.m. ET (1800 GMT),
followed by a news conference by Chair Janet Yellen at 2:30 p.m.
The event, which has several plausible possible outcomes,
will likely determine trading directions across asset classes.
In the meantime, global markets were jittery and little changed.
The Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index
.GSPTSE was down 37.25 points, or 0.27 percent, at 13,726.53.
Canadian companies with operations in the United States or
revenues priced in U.S. dollars could get a boost if the Fed
hikes rates.
The most influential weights included fertilizer company
Potash Corp POT.TO , which fell 1.6 percent to C$33.10, and
Toronto-Dominion Bank TD.TO which declined 0.6 percent to
C$52.85.
But there were only slightly more decliners than advancers
overall, and no new 52-week highs or lows. The materials group
retreated 1.3 percent, the only one of 10 main sectors to move
more than 1 percent in either direction.
U.S. crude CLc1 prices were down 0.3 percent to $47.01 a
barrel, while Brent crude LCOc1 lost 1.0 percent to
$49.27. O/R Gold futures GCc1 fell 0.1 percent to $1,117.9 an
ounce. GOL/ Copper prices CMCU3 advanced 0.3 percent to
$5,395 a tonne. MET/L
Uncertainty about when the Fed will switch gears has dogged
investors for months, further complicated in recent weeks by
market turbulence linked to slowing growth in China and worries
about the health of the global economy.
Macquarie analysts said investors should look beyond the
hike/no-hike binary for signs including guidance via forecast,
news conference rhetoric and number of dissenters.