TORONTO - Canada's main stock index rose with help from the energy sector while the loonie hit a two-year high.

The S&P/TSX composite index closed up 61.28 points to 17,358.21.

In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 59.87 points at 29,883.79. The S&P 500 index was up 6.56 points at 3,669.01, while the Nasdaq composite was down 5.74 points at 12,349.37.

The Canadian dollar traded for 77.32 cents US compared with 77.21 cents US on Tuesday.

The January crude oil contract was up 73 cents at US$45.28 per barrel and the January natural gas contract was down 10 cents at US$2.78 per mmBTU.

The February gold contract was up US$11.30 at US$1,830.20 an ounce and the March copper contract was up 0.4 of a cent at US$3.49 a pound.