Canada’s main stock index finished in the black ahead of the long weekend, while markets south of the border were mixed.

The S&P/TSX composite index rose 57.58 points to 16,442.07.

In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average advanced 41.03 points to 26,403.28. The S&P 500 index gained 1.88 points to 2,926.46, while the Nasdaq composite fell 10.51 points to 7,962.88.

The Canadian dollar averaged US75.22¢, up from an average of US75.21¢ on Thursday.

The October crude contract shed US$1.61 to US$55.10 per barrel and the October natural gas contract dropped about a penny to roughly US$2.29 per mmBTU.

The December gold contract lost US$7.50 to US$1,529.40 an ounce and the December copper contract retreated by about three cents to US$2.55 a pound.