Toronto stocks posted solid gains Tuesday as energy and financial issues strengthened ahead of tomorrow’s U.S. Federal Reserve decision on interest rates.

The S&P/TSX composite index closed up 59.53 points, or 0.46%, to 13,046.43.

Seven of the 10 main TSX groups advanced.

The industrials group led the way, rising 2.23%.

Bombardier shares gained 25¢, or 5.27%, to close at $4.99.

The heavyweight energy group gained 0.68%.

Crude for March delivery ended the session up 65¢, or 0.7%, at US$91.64 a barrel on the Nymex, making it the fourth day in a row of gains.

The heavyweight financials group gained 0.92%.

CIBC shares gained $2.42, or 3.55%, to close at $70.55, while Royal Bank shares rose 28¢, or 0.56%, closing at $49.98, despite its confirming today it would see a further writedown in the first quarter.

The gold sub-group lost 1.52%, as February’s gold contract ended down US$2 at $925.10 an ounce on the Nymex. Earlier, gold futures hit a record US$933.30 an ounce in electronic trading.

In individual stocks, Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. shares went up $2.36, or 3.64%, to close at $67.26, after it reported a jump in its fourth-quarter income.

The company announced its quarterly adjusted income came in at $185 million, or $1.20 a share, up from $181 million, or $1.15 a share, year-over-year.

The junior S&P/TSX Venture composite index closed down 5.42 points, or 0.21%, at 2,552.38.

The Canadian dollar closed out at US$1.00, up 0.04 of a cent from yesterday’s close.

In New York, markets rallied hard late in the day in expectation of tomorrow’s rate cut announcement by the Fed..

The Dow Jones industrial average jumped 96.41 points, or 0.78%, to 12,480.30. The S&P 500 gained 8.34 points, or 0.62%, ending at 1,362.30.

The tech-heavy Nasdaq composite index added 8.15 points, or 0.35%, to 2,358.06.