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Canada’s main stock index resumed its upward trajectory as investors responded to the Federal Reserve’s dovish outlook from Wednesday and supportive economic data at home.

The S&P/TSX composite index closed up 77.03 points to 16,244.59.

In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 216.84 points at 25,962.51. The S&P 500 index was up 30.65 points at 2,854.88, while the Nasdaq composite was up 109.99 points at 7,838.96.

The Canadian dollar traded at an average of US74.82¢ compared with an average of US75.09¢ on Wednesday.

The May crude contract was down US25¢ at US$59.98 per barrel and the April natural gas contract was up one tenth of a cent at US$2.82 per mmBTU.

The April gold contract was up US$5.60 at US$1,307.30 an ounce and the May copper contract was down 1.5 cents at US$2.91 a pound.