S&P/TSX composite higher in late-morning trading, U.S. stock markets mixed

Strength in base metal stocks helped lift Canada’s main stock index in late-morning trading, while U.S. stock markets were mixed.

The S&P/TSX composite index was up 76.98 points at 19,697.78.

In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 2.32 points at 33,986.86. The S&P 500 index was down 1.75 points at 4,371.88, while the Nasdaq composite was down 37.23 points at 13,530.75.

The Canadian dollar traded for 73.37 cents US compared with 73.43 cents US on Monday.

The December crude oil contract was up 36 cents at US$85.62 per barrel and the November natural gas contract was down three cents at US$3.08 per mmBTU.

The December gold contract was up US$3.10 at US$1,937.40 an ounce and the December copper contract was down a penny at US$3.57 a pound.