Strength in energy and base metal stocks helped Canada's main stock index gain more than 100 points Tuesday, while U.S. stock markets were mixed.

The S&P/TSX Composite Index was up 146.03 points, or 0.72 per cent, at 20,421.85.

In New York, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 98.27 points at 33,684.79. The S&P 500 Index was down 0.17 points at 4,108.94, while the Nasdaq Composite was down 52.48 points at 12,031.88.

The Canadian dollar traded for 74.17 cents U.S. compared with 73.93 cents U.S. on Monday.

The May crude contract was up US$1.79 at US$81.53 per barrel and the May natural gas contract was up a penny at US$2.19 per mm/BTU.

The June gold contract was up US$15.20 at US$2,019.00 an ounce and the May copper contract was up four cents at US$4.02 a pound.