(Updates prices, adds sectors)
April 19 (Reuters) - Canada's main stock index was little changed on Monday after hitting record highs last week, as investors held off from making big bets ahead of a busy week for corporate earnings.
At 9:40 a.m. ET (13:38 GMT), the Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index .GSPTSE was flat. Rogers Communication RClb.TO , Canadian Pacific Railway CP.TO and Precision Drilling Corp PD.TO are among the companies slated to report earnings this week.
* Canadian housing starts rose 21.6% in March compared with the previous month, easily beating expectations and hitting a new record, data from the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation showed on Monday.
* The energy sector .SPTTEN climbed 0.1% as U.S. crude CLc1 prices were up 0.1% a barrel, while Brent crude LCOc1 was unchanged. O/R
* The financials sector .SPTTFS gained 0.2%. The industrials sector .GSPTTIN rose 0.1%.
* The materials sector .GSPTTMT , which includes precious and base metals miners and fertilizer companies, lost 0.4% as gold futures GCc1 fell 0.4% to $1,772.8 an ounce. GOL/ MET/L
* On the TSX, 100 issues were higher, while 120 issues declined for a 1.20-to-1 ratio to the downside, with 10.82 million shares traded.
* The largest percentage gainers on the TSX were Mullen Group MTL.TO , which jumped 4.4%, and Westport Fuel Systems WPRT.TO , which rose 4.2%.
* Boralex BLX.TO fell 3.2%, the most on the TSX, while the second-biggest decliner was Lightspeed POS Inc LSPD.TO , down 3.1%.
* The most heavily traded shares by volume were Bombardier BBDb.TO , Nevada Copper NCU.TO and The Supreme Cannabis FIRE.TO .
* The TSX posted 21 new 52-week highs and one new low.
* Across all Canadian issues there were 85 new 52-week highs and four new lows, with total volume of 27.45 million shares.