North American stock markets started the week on a positive note, surging ahead as investor fears calmed slightly following a tumultuous week of rhetoric between the U.S. and North Korea.

The S&P/TSX composite index advanced 86.53 points to 15,119.91.

On Wall Street, the Dow Jones industrial average gained 135.39 points to 21,993.71, while the S&P 500 index rose 24.52 points to 2,465.84. The Nasdaq composite climbed 81.06 points to 6,337.62.

The Canadian dollar was trading at an average price of US78.71¢, down 0.12 of a U.S. cent.

The September crude contract shed US$1.23 to US$47.59 a barrel, while the December gold contract fell US$3.60 to US$1,290.40.

Elsewhere in commodities, the September natural gas contract fell US2.4¢ to about US$2.96 per mmBTU and the September copper contract declined US0.75¢ to US$2.90 a pound.