CANADA STOCKS-TSX slips as trade data pulls commodities lower

 (Updates with stock market price action after the open) 
    * TSX down 17.31 points, or 0.12 percent, at 14,281.77 
    * Six of 10 main index sectors decline 
    * Prices of some commodities drop 
    * RBC slips after court decision 
 
    By John Tilak 
    TORONTO, March 10 (Reuters) - Canada's main stock edged 
lower on Monday after softer-than-expected economic data from 
China weighed on commodity prices and natural resource shares. 
    Figures released over the weekend showed an unexpected drop 
in Chinese exports in February, renewing concerns about a 
slowdown in the world's second-largest economy.    
    The resource-sensitive Toronto market felt the impact of the 
weakness in China, a major importer of commodities, as prices of 
gold and oil were in the red. 
    China "is a concern, but is it a new concern? I'd say no," 
said Ian Nakamoto, director of research at MacDougall, 
MacDougall & MacTier. "The question is, how much is it going to 
slow down?" 
    He added that profit-taking was also weighing on the TSX, 
which is up nearly 5 percent this year. "We've had a good run 
for a while," he said. 
    The Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index 
   was down 17.31 points, or 0.12 percent, at 14,281.77. 
Six of the 10 main sectors on the index were lower.  
    Gold-mining shares gave back 1 percent, with Barrick Gold 
Corp    losing 1.4 percent to C$21.78 and Goldcorp Inc 
   slipping 0.9 percent to C$29.69. 
    Energy producers were hit by lower oil prices. Canadian 
Natural Resources Ltd    dropped 1.4 percent to C$41.02. 
    Financials, the index's most heavily weighted sector, added 
0.3 percent. Bank of Nova Scotia    gained 0.4 percent to 
C$63.87.  
    Royal Bank of Canada    was down 0.1 percent after a 
decision by a Delaware judge who said that the lender should be 
held liable to former shareholders of Rural/Metro Corp because 
it failed to disclose conflicts of interest that tainted the 
$438 million buyout of the ambulance operator.    
     
 
 (Editing by W Simon) 
 ((john.tilak@thomsonreuters.com)(1-416-687-7918)(Reuters 
Messaging: john.tilak.reuters.com@reuters.net)) 
  
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