(Reuters) - Canada's main stock index edged lower on Thursday, led by declines in heavyweight financial stocks, while materials and energy stocks lost ground due to a drop in commodity prices.
* At 9:38 a.m. ET (13:38 GMT), the Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index .GSPTSE was down 47.28 points, or 0.29 percent, at 16,257.44.
* Declines were led by a 0.4 percent drop in the financials sector .SPTTFS , which accounts for about a third of the main index's weight.
* Gold prices fell despite a weaker dollar as investors worried that U.S. Federal Reserve minutes, due later in the day, would highlight scope for further rate hikes.
* The materials sector .GSPTTMT , which includes precious and base metals miners and fertilizer companies, lost 0.5 percent as spot gold XAU= fell 0.1 percent to $1254.95 an ounce, while copper prices CMCU3 declined 0.1 percent to $6,382.5 a tonne. GOL/ MET/L
* Gold miners Yamana Gold's YRI.TO 3 percent fall and First Quantum Minerals' FM.TO 0.8 percent loss weighed the most on the materials sector.
* The energy sector .SPTTEN dropped 0.6 percent as U.S. crude CLc1 prices slipped 0.4 percent a barrel, while Brent crude LCOc1 lost 0.3 percent. O/R
* Eight of the index's 11 major sectors were in the red with only healthcare .GSPTTHC , utilities .GSPTTUT and consumer discretionary .GSPTTCD higher.
* Airbus Chief Executive Tom Enders said on Wednesday he expects to see the first results of the company's new majority stake in Bombardier's BBDb.TO CSeries jetliner program within weeks. Bombardier shares were trading 1.2 percent higher. The biggest percentage gainers were Mullen Group MTL.TO , which jumped 2.8 percent and Brookfield Infrastructure Partners BIP_u.TO , which rose 2.6 percent, gaining for the second day after agreeing to buy Enbridge Inc's ENB.TO Canadian natural gas gathering and processing business.
* Centerra Gold CG.TO fell 4.7 percent and was the biggest loser on the TSX after the gold miner said it was seeking a permit to procure more short- and long-term water sources through to 2020 for its Mount Milligan Mine. The second biggest decliner was Pason Systems PSI.TO , down 4.1 percent.
* The most heavily traded shares by volume were Aurora Cannabis ACB.TO , Bombardier B BBDb.TO and Yamana Gold YRI.TO .
* On the TSX, 61 issues were higher, while 177 issues declined for a 2.90-to-1 ratio to the downside, with 10.81 million shares traded.
* The TSX posted no new 52-week highs and no new lows.
* Across all Canadian issues there were no new 52-week highs and one new low, with total volume of 16.83 million shares.