LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) -- Canadian equities ended higher Friday, buoyed by gains in financial shares as well as Research In Motion Ltd., which continued to climb in the wake of the BlackBerry maker's stronger-than-anticipated forecast.
The benchmark S&P/TSX Composite Index ended up 126.65 points, or 1.5%, at 8,439.07. The index on Thursday finished with a loss of 299 points, or 3.4%.
Advancers narrowly overtook decliners, by 682 to 618.
The financial-sector component was up 1.3%, and the information-technology sector gauge soared 5%, as shares of RIM Late Thursday, the mobile-devices maker surprised investors with its forecast that fourth-quarter revenue will grow between 75% and 85%, which was above the consensus estimate. The company's fiscal third-quarter profit rose 7%. See full story on RIM.
The metals and mining sector rose 4%, and the energy sector gauge was up 0.5%.
Most gold producers held to their advances although gold futures extended losses for a second day, weighed by gains in the U.S. dollar against its major rivals. Gold for February delivery ended down $23.20, or 2.7%, at $837.40 an ounce on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange.
Kinross Gold Corp. (CA:K: news , chart , profile ) shares tacked on 5.4%, Eldorado Gold Corp. (CA:ELD: news , chart , profile ) was up 6.7% and Yamana Gold Inc. (CA:YRI: news , chart , profile ) shares rose 7.8%.
Crude investors dumped the expiring January contract Friday, sending prices to just under $34 a barrel, with the sell-off spurred by a jump in inventories and a rush to invest in the next month's contract. Oil for February delivery, now the most active contract, rose 69 cents to end at $42.36 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. See Futures Movers for more on oil.
PetroCanada (CA:PCA: news , chart , profile ) erased losses and ended up 0.6%. Industry heavyweight EnCana Corp. (CA:ECA: news , chart , profile ) fell 1.1%, Talisman Energy Inc. (CA:TLM: news , chart , profile ) fell 0.9%. But Nexen Inc. (CA:NXY: news , chart , profile ) moved up 0.2%.
On Wall Street, the Dow industrials erased gains and ended down 25.88 points, or 0.3%, at 8,579.11. The S&P 500 Index rose 2.6 points to 887.88.
