TORONTO -- Canada's main stock index edged higher in early trading, boosted by gains in the consumer staples sector, while U.S. stock markets were mixed.

The S&P/TSX composite index was up 10.33 points at 15,400.05.

In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 8.47 points at 25,587.33. The S&P 500 index was up 6.24 points at 3,059.48, while the Nasdaq composite was up 28.11 points at 9,902.26.

The Canadian dollar traded for 73.11 cents US compared with 73.09 cents US on Monday.

The August crude contract was down 62 cents at US$39.08 per barrel and the August natural gas contract was up nearly seven cents at nearly US$1.78 per mmBTU.

The August gold contract was down US$2.20 at US$1,779.00 an ounce and the September copper contract was up three cents at nearly US$2.73 a pound.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 30, 2020