North American markets closed for holidays, re-open Tuesday after positive week

TORONTO – Major North American markets were closed for a holiday after a positive week that saw Bay and Wall Street’s major markets make gains following a tumultuous period earlier this month.

The Toronto stock market was closed for a provincial holiday, while south of the border U.S. stock markets were closed for Presidents Day.

Both re-open Tuesday after a strong week that saw the Toronto Stock Exchange’s S&P/TSX composite index rise nearly three per cent since closing on Friday, Feb. 9.

In New York last week, the Dow Jones industrial average and S&P 500 index gained more than four per cent, while the Nasdaq composite index advanced more than five per cent.

On international money markets Monday, the Canadian dollar was at 80 cents US, according to the Bank of Canada’s website. On Friday, its average trading value was 79.74 cents US.

On commodities markets, April crude contracts were up 82 cents at US$62.37 per barrel, April gold was down US$7.30 at US$1,348.90 per ounce, March natural gas was up about a penny at roughly US$2.57 per mmBTU, and March copper was down four cents at roughly US$3.21 per pound shortly after 4 p.m. ET.