S&P/TSX composite closes up for second-straight week on rising commodity prices

A currency trader walks near the screens showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index, left, and the foreign exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and South Korean won at a foreign exchange dealing room in Seoul, South Korea, on March 4, 2022. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

NEW YORK -

Canada's main stock index rose for a second-straight week as commodity prices continued to march higher with oil surpassing US$115 per barrel over worries about the war in Ukraine.

The S&P/TSX composite index closed up 152.02 points to 21,402.43.

In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 179.86 points at 33,614.80. The S&P 500 index was down 34.62 points at 4,328.87, while the Nasdaq composite was down 224.50 points at 13,313.44.

The Canadian dollar traded for 78.43 cents US compared with 78.96 cents US on Thursday.

The April crude oil contract was up US$8.01 at US$115.68 per barrel and the April natural gas contract was up 29.4 cents at US$5.02 per mmBTU.

The April gold contract was up US$30.70 at US$1,966.60 an ounce and the May copper contract was up 15.6 cents at US$4.94 a pound.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 4, 2022.