

TORONTO –
Canada’s main stock index had its second-best day of the year following strong bank results and hopes that the war in Ukraine will temper aggressive interest rate hikes next month.
The S&P/TSX composite index closed up 344.07 points to 21,106.00.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 834.92 points or 2.5 per cent at 34,058.75. The S&P 500 index was up 95.95 points at 4,384.65, while the Nasdaq composite was up 221.03 points at 13,694.62.
The Canadian dollar traded for 78.45 cents US compared with 77.93 cents US on Thursday.
The April crude contract was down US$1.22 at US$91.59 per barrel and the April natural gas contract was down 17.1 cents at US$4.47 per mmBTU.
The April gold contract was down US$38.70 at US$1,887.60 an ounce and the May copper contract was up 2.4 cents at US$4.49 a pound.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 25, 2022.
