It was a banner day for Toronto stocks as the main index posted its best one-day gain in nearly three weeks. The Toronto Stock Exchange S&P/TSX composite index rose 106.93 points, or 1.25%, to 8,679.98.

Eight of the TSX’s 10 sub-indexes finished higher. The top performer was the materials sector, home to gold issues. It rose 2.87%. The energy group followed close behind, gaining 1.97%.

Gold stocks rose 2%, boosted by an impressive operational performance by Barrick Gold Corp. even though its profit landed slightly short of estimates. Barrick shares rose 76¢, or 2.7%, to $28.81. Placer Dome Inc. added 48¢, or 2.4%, to $20.60.

Goldcorp was hurt by the surprise resignation of two senior executives. Its shares dropped 63¢, or 3.8%, to $16.19.

Shell Canada Ltd. came in better than expected, sparking a rally in energy stocks. Shell closed up $2.05, or 3.2%, at $65.75, while EnCana Corp. added 74¢, or 1.3%, to close at $57.24.

South of the 49th parallel, stocks jumped on upbeat forecasts from companies such as Caterpillar Inc. and eBay Inc.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 144 points, or 1.4%, to 10,461.20. The S&P 500 rose 16 points, or 1.4%, to 1,139.95. The Nasdaq composite index added 37 points, or 1.9%, to 2,032.91.

Microsoft Corp. may fuel more gains for tech shares, tomorrow. Late today, it reported late higher quarterly revenue on strength in the personal computer sector. Its shares jumped 6% to $27.46 in extended-hours trading.