Canada’s main stock index returned to its highest closing in nearly seven months as the price of oil surpassed US$59 per barrel for the first time since November.

The S&P/TSX composite index closed up 111.02 points to 16,251.37.

In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 65.23 points at 25,914.10. The S&P 500 index was up 10.46 points at 2,832.94, while the Nasdaq composite was up 25.95 points at 7,714.48.

The Canadian dollar traded at an average of US74.93¢ compared with an average of US74.95$ on Friday.

The May crude contract was up US56¢ at US$59.38 per barrel and the April natural gas contract was up US5.5¢ at US$2.85 per mmBTU.

The April gold contract was down US$1.40 at US$1,301.50 an ounce and the May copper contract was up 0.3 of a cent at US$2.91 a pound.