Canada's main stock index rose almost 250 points in a broad-based rally Friday, ending the week on an upswing as Wall Street stocks also posted strong gains.

The S&P/TSX Composite Index was up 244.37 points, or 1.2 per cent, at 20,581.58.

In New York, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 387.40 points at 33,390.97. The S&P 500 Index was up 64.29 points at 4,045.64, while the Nasdaq Composite was up 226.03 points at 11,689.01.

The Canadian dollar traded for 73.48 cents U.S. compared with 73.45 cents U.S. on Thursday.

The April crude contract was up $1.52 at US$79.68 per barrel and the April natural gas contract was up 24 cents at US$3.01 per mm/BTU.

The April gold contract was up US$14.10 at US$1,854.60 an ounce and the May copper contract was down one cent at US$4.07 a pound.