Canada's main stock market index posted a small gain Thursday as it continued its climb this week, helped by strength in financial, telecom and technology stocks, while U.S. markets also rose. 

The S&P/TSX Composite Index closed up 67.61 points, or 0.33 per cent, to 20,342.88.

In New York, the Dow Jones Industrial Average increased 52.79 points to 35,176.15. The S&P 500 Index ticked up 1.12 points to 4,468.83, while the Nasdaq Composite inched up 15.97 points to 13,737.99.

The Canadian dollar traded for 74.58 cents U.S. compared with 74.45 cents U.S. on Wednesday.

The September crude oil contract was down US$1.58 cents at US$82.82 per barrel and the September natural gas contract was down 20 cents at US$2.76 per mm/BTU.

The December gold contract was down US$1.70 at US$1,948.90 an ounce and the September copper contract was down two cents at US$3.77 a pound.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 10, 2023.