S&P/TSX composite up in late-morning trading, loonie falls below 80 cents US

TORONTO —
Gains in the industrial and base metal sectors helped lift Canada’s main stock index higher in late-morning trading as the price of oil fell and the loonie dropped below 80 cents US.

The S&P/TSX composite index was up 28.20 points at 20,328.23.

In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 14.65 points at 34,592.02. The S&P 500 index was up 3.32 points at 4,346.86, while the Nasdaq composite was down 38.02 points at 14,625.62.

The Canadian dollar traded for 79.95 cents US compared with 80.35 cents US on Tuesday.

The August crude oil contract was down US$1.44 at US$71.93 per barrel and the August natural gas contract was down 10 cents at US$3.54 per mmBTU.

The August gold contract was up US$11.10 at US$1,805.30 an ounce and the September copper contract was up seven cents at US$4.33 a pound.