Gains in the key financial, industrial and material sectors helped Canada’s main stock index push higher, while the loonie gained ground following the Bank of Canada’s latest rate announcement. In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 97.87 points at 23,885.32. The S&P 500 index was up 6.09 points at 2,580.50, while the Nasdaq composite was up 33.83 points at 6,930.83. The Canadian dollar traded for 75.58 cents U.S. compared with an average of 75.23 cents U.S. on Tuesday after the Bank of Canada kept its key rate on hold at 1.75 per cent, but said higher rates will be necessary over time. The February crude contract was up $1.09 (U.S.) at $50.87 per barrel and the February natural gas contract was down 2.5 cents at $2.94 per mmBTU.

Source: thestar January 09, 2019 16:18 UTC