Energy sector helps boost S&P/TSX composite, U.S. stock markets mixed

Strength in the energy sector helped lead Canada’s main stock index higher in late-morning trading after falling nearly 400 points on Tuesday on broad-based weakness.

The S&P/TSX composite index was up 44.14 points at 19,943.93.

In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 102.85 points at 35,049.24. The S&P 500 index was up 4.36 points at 4,442.22, while the Nasdaq composite was down 19.74 points at 13,611.31.

The Canadian dollar traded for 74.01 cents US compared with 74.17 cents US on Tuesday.

The September crude contract was down seven cents at US$80.92 per barrel and the September natural gas contract was down eight cents at US$2.58 per mmBTU.

The December gold contract was down 10 cents at US$1,935.10 an ounce and the September copper contract was down less than a penny at US$3.66 a pound.