Toronto stocks closed modestly higher after a see-saw session on Friday.

The S&P/TSX composite index closed up 44.01 points, or 0.4%, at 10,977.97.

For the week, the benchmark index advanced 1.4%.

Gold touched US$960 an ounce and oil settled higher at US$72.74 a barrel, helping to lift the resource sectors.

The materials group was up 1.4%, while the energy group advanced 1.2%.

Goldcorp was up 2.6% at $40.48, and Barrick Gold gained 3.1% at $38.73.

In the energy group, EnCana Corp. shares climbed 2.4% to $58.45.

Financials were off 1.1% with Bank of Nova Scotia sliding 3.6% to end the day at $46.40.

Scotiabank posted a lower profit on Friday as it set aside more money to cover loan loss provisions.

The junior S&P/TSX Venture composite index added 6.56 points, or 0.55%, to close at 1,188.71.

The Canadian dollar slipped 0.53 of a cent to end at US91.58¢.

In New York, a weak consumer sentiment report offset positive news from tech bellwethers Dell and Intel.

Consumer sentiment in August slid to a four-month low on worries about high unemployment and personal finances, a University of Michigan survey showed,

Intel’s stock climbed after the chip maker raised its third-quarter revenue outlook on stronger-than-expected demand for its microprocessors and chipsets.

Dell shares rose after the company reported second-quarter earnings late Thursday that beat expectations.

The Dow Jones industrial average declined 36.43 points, or 0.38%, to end at 9,544.20. The S&P 500 lost only 2.05 points, or 0.20%, to 1,028.93.

But the Nasdaq composite index inched up 1.04 points, or 0.05%, to close at 2,028.77.

For the week, the Dow advanced 0.4%, while the S&P 500 gained 0.3% and the Nasdaq rose 0.4%.

IE