TORONTO -- North American markets closed higher on Thursday, as energy stocks rose and U.S. investors digested more news about a potential stimulus deal.

The S&P/TSX composite index was up 106.24 points at 16,534.54.

In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 122.05 points at 28,425.51. The S&P 500 index was up 27.38 points at 3,446.83 while the Nasdaq was up 56.38 points at 11,420.98.

The Canadian dollar traded for 75.64 cents US compared with 75.33 cents US on Wednesday.

The November crude contract was up US$1.24 at US$41.19 per barrel and the November natural gas contract was up 2.1 cents at US$2.63 per mmBTU.

The December gold contract was up US$4.30 at US$1,895.10 an ounce and the December copper contract was up 0.9 of a cent at $3.04 a pound.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct.8, 2020.