Financial and tech stocks boost S&P/TSX composite, U.S. stock markets also up

Strength in financial and technology stocks helped lift Canada’s main stock index in late-morning trading, while U.S. stock markets also pushed higher.

The S&P/TSX composite index was up 28.81 points at 18,766.20.

In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 282.79 points at 32,700.38. The S&P 500 index was up 19.25 points at 4,136.62, while the Nasdaq composite was up 64.93 points at 12,707.94.

The Canadian dollar traded for 72.25 cents US compared with 72.17 cents US on Friday.

The December crude contract was down US$2.87 at US$82.67 per barrel and the December natural gas contract was down 14 cents at US$3.34 per mmBTU.

The December gold contract was up US$7.60 at US$2,006.10 an ounce and the December copper contract was up two cents at US$3.66 a pound.