TORONTO — North American stock markets gained ground on Wednesday thanks to continued optimism about the strength of the U.S. economy.

The S&P/TSX composite index was up 152.39 points at 24,224.90.

In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 431.63 points at 42,512.00. The S&P 500 index was up 40.91 points at 5,792.04, while the Nasdaq composite was up 108.70 points at 18,291.62.

The Canadian dollar traded for 73.05 cents US compared with 73.22 cents US on Tuesday.

The October crude oil contract was down 33 cents at US$73.24 per barrel and the November natural gas contract was down eight cents at US$2.66 per mmBTU.

The December gold contract was down US$9.40 at US$2,626.00 an ounce and the December copper contract was down four cents at US$4.40 a pound.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 9, 2024.

Companies in this story: (TSX:GSPTSE, TSX:CADUSD)

The Canadian Press