Canada’s main stock index set another 2019 high on gains by the energy sector and a strong start to first-quarter results.

The S&P/TSX composite index closed up 81.06 points at 16,480.53, after reaching 16,487.14 shortly after the open.

In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 269.25 points at 26,412.30. The S&P 500 index was up 19.09 points at 2,907.41, while the Nasdaq composite was up 36.80 at 7,984.16.

The Canadian dollar traded at an average of US75.02¢, up from an average of US74.75¢ on Thursday.

The May crude contract was up 31¢ at US$63.89 per barrel and the natural gas contract was down 0.4¢ at $2.66 per mmBTU.