Canada’s main stock index closes higher on broad gains

U.S. markets were mixed on Wednesday

Canada’s main stock index closed higher on broad gains led by information technology and industrials, while U.S. markets were mixed.

The S&P/TSX composite index closed up 39.16 points at 16,611.84 points even as the health care index was dragged down by a plunge in shares of CannTrust Holdings Inc.

The Dow Jones industrial average ended down 79.22 points at 27,269.97 points. The S&P 500 index was up 14.09 points at 3,019.56, while the Nasdaq composite was up 70.10 points at 8,321.50.

The Canadian dollar averaged US76.12¢, up from an average of US76.09¢ on Tuesday.

The September crude contract ended down US89¢ at US$55.88 per barrel and the September natural gas contract was down US7.3¢ at US$2.20 per mmBTU.

The August gold contract closed up $1.90 at US$1,423.60 an ounce and the September copper contract rose US1.2¢ at US$2.71 a pound.