Gains in consumer staples stocks as well as the industrials and health care sectors helped boost Canada’s main stock index in late-morning trading, while U.S. stock markets edged higher.
The S&P/TSX composite index was up 52.69 points at 16,109.72.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 9.56 points at 26,101.51. The S&P 500 index was up 4.46 points at 2,800.57, while the Nasdaq composite was up 4.61 points at 7,559.07.
The Canadian dollar traded for 75.81 cents US compared with an average of 75.91 cents US on Monday.
The April crude contract was up 11 cents at US$55.59 per barrel and the April natural gas contract was up 1.2 cents at US$2.83 per mmBTU.
The April gold contract was down 50 cents at US$1,329.00 an ounce and the May copper contract was up 0.20 of a cent at US$2.95 a pound.