S&P/TSX composite up more than 100 points in late-morning trading

Strength in the energy and base metal stocks helped Canada’s main stock index rise more than 100 points in late-morning trading, while U.S. stock markets edged lower.

The S&P/TSX composite index was up 127.24 points at 20,180.31.

In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 21.19 points at 34,924.28. The S&P 500 index was down 2.65 points at 4,505.59, while the Nasdaq composite was down 30.03 points at 14,083.64.

The Canadian dollar traded for 72.86 cents US compared with 72.73 cents US on Thursday.

The January crude contract was up US$1.99 at US$75.08 per barrel and the December natural gas contract was down 13 cents at US$2.94 per mmBTU.

The December gold contract was down US$1.40 at US$1,985.90 an ounce and the December copper contract was up two cents at US$3.72 a pound.