The Globe and Mail reports in its Wednesday edition that Canada's main stock index fell for the third straight session on Tuesday as energy stocks followed oil prices lower and investors locked in profits heading toward the end of the year. A Reuters dispatch to The Globe says the S&P/TSX Composite Index ended down 219.51 points at 31,263.93. The Toronto market's energy sector lost 3.7 per cent as oil settled 2.7 per cent lower at $55.27 (U.S.) a barrel. Prospects of a Russia-Ukraine peace deal appeared to strengthen, raising expectations sanctions could be eased. Technology and materials were down, while health care was among the sectors that notched gains, rising 6.7 per cent, as the potential for a U.S. executive order that would reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug boosted cannabis stocks. Curaleaf Holdings hares jumped 23.4 per cent to their highest closing level since May, 2024. NFI Group Inc was another standout. It climbed 12.3 per cent after the bus and coach maker announced a battery recall agreement with XALT Energy. On Wall Street, the Nasdaq recovered to close 54.05 points higher while the S&P 500 and the Dow closed 302.30 points lower, hit by declines in health care and energy stocks.