Canada’s main stock index closed just shy of a three-week high after the heavyweight financials sector was bolstered by a positive housing report.

The S&P/TSX composite index gained 62.65 points to 16,301.91.

In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 17.16 points at 26,089.61. The S&P 500 index was down 4.66 points at 2,886.98, while the Nasdaq composite was down 40.47 points at 7,796.66.

The Canadian dollar traded for an average of US74.71¢ compared with an average of US75.05¢ on Thursday.

The July crude contract was up US23¢ at US$52.51 per barrel and the July natural gas contract was up US6.2¢ at US$2.39 per mmBTU.

The August gold contract was up US80¢ at US$1,344.50 an ounce and the July copper contract was down US2.7¢ at US$2.63 a pound.