TORONTO -- The continuing rout on China's main market prompted a worldwide sell-off Monday that sent North American markets into a tailspin in early trading before recovering somewhat by the end of the day.
The market's benchmark S&P/TSX index plunged 768 points or 5.7 per cent in early trading, then rallied strongly before sliding again.
Canada's main index finished the day at 13,052.74 points -- down 420.93 points from Friday's close.
The loonie fell 0.54 of a U.S. cent at $75.40.
It was the same story in New York, where the Dow Jones industrial average lost a breathtaking 1,000 points shortly after the open before regaining much of that ground, then faltering again to close down 588.40 points at 15,871.35.
The S&P 500 index was down 77.68 points at 1,893.21 and the Nasdaq dropped 179.79 points to 4,526.25.
On commodity markets, the October contract for benchmark crude oil was down $2.21 at US$38.24 a barrel, while September natural gas was off three cents at US$2.65 per thousand cubic feet.
December gold was down $6.00 at US$1,153.60 an ounce and September copper fell five cents to US$2.26 a pound.
