North American stock markets moved closer to setting record highs after gaining some ground to cap a slightly stronger week.

The S&P/TSX composite index was up 35.17 points at 16,404.49.

In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 152.53 points at 26,958.06. The S&P 500 index was up 12.26 points at 3,022.55, while the Nasdaq composite was up 57.32 points at 8,243.12.

The Canadian dollar traded for an average of US76.55¢ compared with an average of US76.48¢ on Thursday.

The December crude contract was up US43¢ at US$56.66 per barrel and the December natural gas contract was down US0.6¢ at US$2.46 per mmBTU.

The December gold contract was up US60¢ at US$1,505.30 an ounce and the December copper contract was up US0.75¢ at US$2.68 a pound.