CANADA STOCKS-TSX posts third straight decline as soft data drags

    * TSX falls 53.32 points, or 0.39 percent, to 13,495.54 
    * Six of 10 main index sectors decline 
    * BlackBerry jumps after naming new executive 
    * Kirkland Lake drops after it weighs asset, share sales 
 
    By John Tilak 
    TORONTO, Jan 6 (Reuters) - Canada's main stock index slipped 
on Monday for a third straight session as signs of economic 
weakness emerged from different parts of the globe, weighing on 
shares of financial and industrial companies. 
    U.S. private sector economic activity growth slowed slightly 
in December, with a services sector reading also edging lower, 
according to an industry report.    
    A separate report said China's services industry growth 
slowed sharply in 2013, adding to data released last week 
indicating weakness in the manufacturing sector in the world's 
second-largest economy.    
    Offsetting some of the weakness, BlackBerry Ltd    
shares jumped 5.2 percent to C$8.51 after the smartphone maker 
said it hired a former Sony Ericsson executive to head its 
loss-making devices business.    
    After recording a 9.6 percent increase in 2013, the Toronto 
market is down about 1 percent this year. 
    "We see some tepidness and weakness at the start of the 
year," said Youssef Zohny, portfolio manager at Stenner 
Investment Partners, a unit of Richardson GMP, who noted that 
investors were also cautious ahead of U.S. jobs data that will 
be released on Friday. 
    "Last year valuations expanded and this year the economy and 
earnings have to deliver on that valuation expansion," he added. 
    The Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index 
   closed down 53.32 points, or 0.39 percent, at 
13,495.54, after earlier touching 13,473.23, its lowest level 
since Dec. 24. 
    Some investors say more pressure on commodity prices could 
weigh on gold and other materials stocks this year. 
    "We expect non-commodity related companies to have a fairly 
decent year in 2014," said Barry Schwartz, vice president and 
portfolio manager at Baskin Financial Services. 
    Fund managers are watching the moves of central banks, such 
as the U.S. Federal Reserve, very closely.  
    "The drums will be pounding for central banks to increase 
interest rates by late 2014," Schwartz said. 
    Six of the 10 main sectors on the index were in the red on 
Monday. 
    Financials, the Toronto index's most heavily-weighted 
sector, gave back 0.7 percent. Royal Bank of Canada    lost 
1 percent to C$70.70, and Bank of Nova Scotia    declined 
1.1 percent to C$64.74. 
    Shares of industrial companies slipped 0.7 percent. Canadian 
National Railway Co    dropped 1.4 percent to C$59.27. 
    But the materials sector, which includes mining stocks, 
advanced 0.5 percent. Barrick Gold Corp    climbed 1.4 
percent to C$19.58. 
    In other corporate news, Kirkland Lake Gold Inc    
said it started a strategic review and may sell assets or 
shares. The stock shed 13.3 percent to C$2.60.    
    MBAC Fertilizer Corp    said it had picked a new chief 
executive, news that helped drive its shares up 9.3 percent to 
C$1.65.    
 
 (Editing by Nick Zieminski, G Crosse) 
 ((john.tilak@thomsonreuters.com)(+1-416-687-7918)(Reuters 
Messaging: john.tilak.reuters.com@reuters.net)) 
  
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