Source: The Canadian Press

The Toronto stock market eked out a small gain as investors weighed higher commodity prices against mixed North American employment data and traders sold off shares of the market’s most influential stock.

The S&P/TSX composite index added 15.42 points to 13,178.95, logging a new post-recession high, after bouncing between positive and negative territory all day.

The Canadian dollar moved 0.06 of a cent higher to 99.67 cents US as the greenback dollar dropped 0.9 per cent against an index of six leading currencies.

The January crude contract gained 30 cents to US$88.30 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Mixed Canadian employment data showed that the jobless rate dropped to 7.6 per cent per cent in November, despite the economy having creating only 15,200 new jobs _ with all of the net gain involving part-time employment. Data from south of the border was even weaker, with the U.S. unemployment rate climbing last month.

After spending most of the day in the red, Wall Street also managed to make modest gains before close. The Dow Jones industrial average moved ahead 19.68 points to 11,382.09, while the Nasdaq composite index added 12.11 points to 2,591.46. The the S&P 500 index fell 3.18 points to 1,224.71.

Highlights at the close of Friday’s world financial market trading

Stocks:

S&P/TSX Composite Index — 13,178.95 up 15.42 points

TSX Venture Exchange — 2,109.95 up 14.22 points

TSX60 – 752.21 up 0.96 points

Dow — 11,382.09 up 19.68 points

S&P 500 — 1,224.71 up 3.18 points

Nasdaq — 2,591.46 up 12.11 points

Nasdaq Canada — 770.85 up 4.57 points

Oil futures:

Light, sweet crude: US $89.19 up 1.19

(January contract)

Currencies at close:

Cdn — 99.67 cents US, up 0.06 of a cent

Pound — C$1.5833 up 1.67 cents

Euro — C$1.3464 up 1.83 cents

Euro — US$1.3420 up 1.91 cents

Gold:

New York — US$1,406.20 up $16.9

(February contract)

Canadian Fine Silver Handy and Harman:

$30.666 oz., up $0.205

$985.91 kg., up $6.59