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Energy stocks fall as oil prices ease

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High silver prices boost mining shares

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TSX rose nearly 1% in previous session

(Updates with market opening prices)

By Ragini Mathur

Jan 16 (Reuters) - Canada's main stock index was subdued

on Thursday as losses in energy shares were offset by gains in

mining and technology stocks.

The Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index

held steady at 24,793.53 points, mirroring the

sentiment on Wall Street.

Energy stocks were down 1.3% as crude oil prices

fell from multi-month highs.

However, high silver and gold prices

helped limit losses for Canadian stocks. The materials sector

rose 0.5%, with miners MAG Silver ( MAG ) and Pan

American Silver ( PAAS ) leading gains.

Information technology shares rose 1.1%.

Canada is preparing a list of potential U.S. retaliatory

tariffs and some of those could be on critical minerals, Energy

and Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said on

Thursday.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump had earlier proposed a 25%

tariff.

Canada's benchmark index recorded its best single-day

performance since November on Wednesday following a benign U.S.

inflation report, which boosted the chances of further interest

rate cuts by the Federal Reserve.

"A lot of gains were experienced yesterday and today you are

probably going to see muted markets," Allan Small, senior

investment adviser at Allan Small Financial Group with iA

Private Wealth, said on Thursday.

The Bank of Canada is expected to cut interest rates by 25

basis points to 3.00% when it meets later this month, according

to a Reuters poll of economists.

Data released on Thursday showed U.S. retail sales increased

solidly in December - pointing to strong demand in the world's

biggest economy - and Canadian housing starts fell 13% in

December compared with the previous month.