CANADA STOCKS-Toronto stocks hit 7-week low as energy sector drops
(Adds details, stocks, updates prices to the close)
Jan 30 (Reuters) - Canada's main stock index fell on Tuesday, hitting its lowest level in more than seven weeks as the declining price of oil pulled shares of energy companies down for the second day in a row.
* The Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index ended down 139.21 points, or 0.86 percent, at 15,955.51.
* The index touched a session low of 15,947.09, its weakest level since Dec. 7, joining a sell-off in stocks world-wide.
* The energy sector retreated 2.9 percent as U.S. crude oil prices settled down $1.06 at $64.50 a barrel amid signs of rising U.S. crude output.
* Suncor Energy was the biggest drag on the index, down 2.6 percent at C$44.35, while Canadian Natural Resources declined 2.5 percent to C$42.57.
* Shares of Thomson Reuters bucked the downward trend, climbing 7.1 percent to C$57.37 after sources said Blackstone Group was in advanced talks to buy a majority stake in a key Thomson Reuters unit.
* The gain in Thomson Reuters helped the larger financial sector gain 0.1 percent. Elsewhere in the group, Toronto Dominion Bank rose 0.5 percent to C$74.61.
* Shares of Shaw Communications rose 0.9 percent to C$26.98 after the company said it would offer about 6,500 of its 14,000 employees voluntary departure packages.
* Financials and telecoms were the only two sectors to end in positive territory among the Toronto index's 10 main groups.
* The TSX posted three new 52-week highs and 10 new lows. Across all Canadian issues there were 10 new 52-week highs and 57 new lows.
* Among the most active Canadian stocks by volume were Aurora Cannabis, down 10.3 percent at C$11.62; NGEx Resources, up 4.6 percent at C$1.15 and Bombardier , down 4.4 percent at C$3.44.
* Volume on the TSX index was 227.04 million shares. (Reporting by Leah Schnurr; Editing by Sandra Maler)
