Canada’s main stock index gained 8.5% in January, fuelled by a surge in crude oil prices.

The S&P/TSX composite index closed up 56.05 points to 15,540.60.

In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 15.19 points at 24,999.67. The S&P 500 index was up 23.05 points at 2,704.10, while the Nasdaq composite was up 98.66 points at 7,281.74.

The Canadian dollar traded higher at an average of US76.08¢ compared with an average of US75.80¢ on Wednesday.

The March crude contract was down US44¢ at US$53.79 per barrel, and the March natural gas contract was down US4¢ at US$2.81 per mmBTU.

The April gold contract was up US$9.70 at US$1,325.20 an ounce and the March copper contract was up US1.7¢ at US$2.78 a pound.