Loonie, Canadian stocks sag as Brexit vote nears

The loonie, a barrel of oiland Canadian stocks limped through a down day on Thursday ahead ofthe looming Brexit vote.

The price for benchmark U.S. crude oil for July sank $1.80 to close at $46.21US abarrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange

The loonie, which is closely tied to the price of oil, dipped 0.21 of a cent to conclude at77.15cents US, its sixth straight losing session.

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On Bay Street, the S&P/TSX composite index fell41.04 points to end at13,882.41.

Meanwhile, U.S. stocks, which spent the morning in the red, ultimately finishedwith gains to end a five-session losing streak.

TheDow Jones industrial rose 92.93 points to wrap up the day at 17,733.10.The broader S&P 500 added 6.49 points to finish at 2,077.99, whiletheNasdaqcomposite ended at4,844.92, up 9.99 points.

The market volatility comesasBritain prepares to voteonJune 23 whether to remain in the European Union. Ahead of that vote, the Bank ofEngland, which kept its rates on hold as well on Thursday, said avote to leave would likely send the pound dropping sharply, andhurt spending and investment.

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Meanwhile, the August gold contract gained $10.10 to settle at $1298.40 US.Although it topped $1,300 an ounce earlier in the session, the metal wasn't able to finish above that mark. Gold hasn't settled above $1,300in more than a year.