Toronto stocks closed higher Tuesday, pushed along by big gains in commodities, in a session that saw the Canadian dollar hitting record highs.

The S&P/TSX composite index closed up 34.01, or 0.28%, to 12,328.21.

Eight of the 10 TSX main sub-groups were down, but energy gained 1.81% and the materials sector moved ahead 2.11%.

Crude oil for June delivery closed up $1.13 at US$70.90 a barrel on further worries over the tensions between the U.S. and Iran.

EnCana Corp. gained $1.13, or 1.96%, to $58.74.

Gold for June delivery shot up $21.60, or 3.2% to US$701.50 an ounce.

Yamana Resources Inc. moved up $1.20, or 9.88%, to $13.35.

The Canadian dollar gained a full cent to US90.87¢, its highest close in more than 28 years. In intra-day trading, the loonie hit a high of US91.92¢.

The S&P/TSX Venture Exchange index gained 71.30 points to close at 3,251.03.

In New York, markets were mixed in anticipation of tomorrow’s funds rate announcement from the U.S. Federal Reserve.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 55.23 points to 11,639.77. The Nasdaq composite index fell 6.74 points to 2,338.25, while the S&P 500 fell 0.48 of a point to 1,325.14.