Strength in financial, utilities and technology stocks helped the TSX gain almost 150 points Friday, while U.S. markets broadly rose on the back of technology, with the S&P 500 rallying to hit a new all-time record high. 

The S&P/TSX Composite Index closed up 149.79 points, or 0.72 per cent, at 20,906.52.

In New York, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 395.19 points at 37,863.80. The S&P 500 Index was up 58.87 points at 4,839.81, while the Nasdaq Composite was up 255.32 points at 15,310.97.

The Canadian dollar traded for 74.28 cents U.S. compared with 74.05 cents U.S. on Thursday.

The March crude oil contract was down 70 cents at US$73.25 per barrel and the March natural gas contract was down 16 cents at US$2.25 per mm/BTU.

The February gold contract was up US$7.70 at US$2,029.30 an ounce and the March copper contract was up four cents at US$3.79 a pound.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 19, 2024.