Markets closed higher Thursday despite the somber mood of the anniversary of the attacks of September 11. The S&P/TSX composite index rose 27.42 points to 7,598.48.

The information technology sector rose 1.6% following a 4.7% drop on Wednesday. Health-care stocks rose 3%.

Among technology issues Cognos rose $1.51 to $45.38 as the market cheered a report of early success for its new software, which creates and modifies corporate statements.

Tech bellwether Nortel Networks rose 7¢ to $5.46, while Celestica shares added $1.05 to C$24.72.

Barrick Gold fell 4¢ to close at $27.86. The company told a conference in Vancouver that its operating mines were performing as planned in the second half of the year and that its door was always open to value-building deals.

Among health-cares shares, Angiotech Pharma rose $4.22 to $57.15, while Biovail shares were up $3.31 to $58.58.

CoolBrands International climbed $1.32 to $18.45. The company said it would market a low-carbohydrate kind of premium ice cream under licence from the Atkins diet group.

The junior S&P/TSX Venture composite exchange gained 7.35 to 1,368.72

In New York, stocks climbed higher, led by technology stocks like software maker Adobe Systems Inc. The major market gauges closed higher after two straight days of declines.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 39.30 points to 9,459.76. The broader S&P 500 advanced 5.50 points to 1,106.42. The tech-heavy Nasdaq composite index added 22.28 points to 1,846.09.

On Friday U.S. reports on retail sales and consumer confidence will be released.