The Globe and Mail reports in its Thursday edition that Canada's main stock index closed slightly lower on Wednesday, trading at a five-week low, as minutes from the Federal Reserve's latest meeting left the door open to further rate increases and after data this week showed a slowdown in China. A Reuters dispatch to The Globe says that the S&P/TSX Composite Index ended down 0.72 point at 19,899.07, its lowest closing level since July 11. Wall Street also fell after minutes from the Fed's July 25-26 meeting showed most policy-makers continued to prioritize the battle against inflation. Investors have also been factoring in this week mounting evidence of a slowdown in China. The Toronto market has a heavy weighting in commodity-linked stocks so it is particularly sensitive to the global economic outlook. The materials sector, which includes miners and fertilizer companies, lost 0.7 per cent. Oil also lost ground, settling nearly 2 per cent lower at $79.38 (U.S.) a barrel. The Nasdaq composite dropped 156.42 points to 13,474.63, while the Dow fell 180.65 points to 34,765.74. Bank shares extended losses, with the S&P 500 bank index down 1 per cent and Bank of America leading the losses to end 2.2 per cent lower.