The Toronto Stock Exchange on Monday looked headed for its third-straight day of gains as some of the world's biggest issues looked less grave.
Shortly after the open, the S&P/TSX composite index was up 108.7 points, or 0.79 per cent, to 13,898.33.
Such gains were made as United Nations approval for a no-fly zone in Libya resulted in another day of NATO forces bombing military facilities there, limiting Col. Moammar Gadhafi's ability to fight rebels.
As well, Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan said there's "light at the end of the tunnel" with regards to regaining control over a potential catastrophe at the earthquake-damaged Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear plant.
There was a major announcement in the U.S. telecommunications industry as AT&T Inc. said it would buy T-Mobile USA from Deutsche Telekom AG for about $39 billion U.S. in cash and stock
Crude oil surged in New York, rising $1.78 U.S. to $102.85 U.S. a barrel. Gold was up $15.40 U.S. to $1,4310.85 U.S. an ounce.
The Canadian dollar was up 1.43 cents to $1.0248 U.S..
On U.S. stock markets, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 139.41 points, or 1.18 per cent, to 11,997.93. The Nasdaq composite index rose 33.14 points, or 1.25 per cent, to 2,676.81.
European markets were also strong. The United Kingdom's FTSE index gained 72.99 points, or 1.28 per cent, to 5,791.12. France's CAC was up 74.26 points, or 1.95 per cent, to 3,884.48. Germany's DAX saw a rise of 133.52 points, or two per cent, to 6,797.92.
The Japanese stock market was closed for a holiday. In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng index was up 384.99 points, or 1.73 per cent, to 22,685.22. Mainland China's Shanghai index was ahead 2.25 points, or 0.08 per cent, to 2,909.14.
On Friday, the TSX was up 43.48 points, or 0.32 per cent, to 13,789.63. The Dow Jones gained 83.93 points, or 0.71 per cent, to 11,858.52. The Nasdaq rose 7.62 points, or 0.29 per cent, to 2,643.67.
