Toronto stocks closed higher Friday, getting a boost from gold and energy issues. The S&P/TSX composite index rose 10.20 points, or 0.11%, to close at 8,896.37 on heavy volume of 301 million shares.

For the week, the benchmark index rose 0.3%.

Five of the TSX’s 10 main groups finished higher. Energy stocks climbed 1.1%, even though U.S. crude oil futures slid 10¢ to US$47.32 a barrel.

EnCana rose 70¢, or 1%, to $62.80, while Petro-Canada (shares finished up $1.03, or 1.6%, at $65.51.

The materials sector, home of TSX gold stocks, rose 1.8%, while the telecoms group gained of 1.4%.

The gold-mining sub-index rose 2.35% as a weaker U.S. dollar helped the price of gold finish just off a 16-year peak.

Barrick Gold shares jumped 59¢, or 2%, to close at $27.64, while Placer Dome shares added 37¢, or 1.4%, to $26.57.

Technology shares fell 2.47% as investors unloaded shares of heavyweight Nortel Networks. On Thursday, the company announced another delay to the refilling of its financial statements.

Shares of Nortel fell 46¢, or 11%, to $3.58, while Research In Motion dropped $1.72, or 1.7%, to $98.60.

Shares of Rockwater Capital.closed up 6¢, or 8.4%, at 77¢ after the firm said it had reached a deal to pay about $100 million in cash, stock and debt for KBSH Capital Management Inc. Rockwater also said it plans to consolidate its stock on one for 10 basis.

The junior S&P/TSX Venture composite index closed up just 1.62 points at 1,632.67.

On Wall Street, U.S. markets finished higher because of a stronger quarterly profit from computer maker Dell and the resumed decline in the price of oil.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 69.17 points, or 0.66%, to 10,539.01, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite index climbed 24.07 points, or 1.17%, to 2,085.34. The broader S&P 500 gained 10.69 points, or 0.91%, to close at 1,184.17.

For the week, the Dow rose 1.46%, while the Nasdaq gained 2.28%, and the S&P 500 climbed 1.54%.

The Dow closed at its highest level in seven months, the Nasdaq in nine months and the S&P hit a fresh three-year high.