Canada’s main stock index closed marginally higher as gold rose as a shield against ongoing trade uncertainty and macroeconomic uncertainty.

The S&P/TSX composite index was up 15.14 points at 16,227.80.

In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 181.09 points at 25,720.66. The S&P 500 index was up 17.34 points at 2,843.49, while the Nasdaq composite was up 40.08 points at 7,615.55.

The Canadian dollar traded at an average of US74.75¢ compared with an average of US74.62¢ on Wednesday.

The July crude contract was up 91¢ at US$52.59 per barrel and the July natural gas contract was down 5.4¢ at US$2.32 per mmBTU.

The August gold contract was up US$9.10 at US$1,342.70 an ounce and the July copper contract was up 2.75¢ at US$2.65 a pound.