Toronto stocks closed higher on Wednesday. The benchmark S&P/TSX composite index rose 37.26 points, or 0.41%, to 9,162.36. Volume was 270 million shares.

The information technology sector rose 2% to lead all groups, while energy stocks chipped in with a 0.8% gain.

Eight of the 10 main TSX subindexes closed higher.

Research in Motion sparked a rally among tech shares after a Wall Street Journal column pegged the maker of the BlackBerry wireless device as a potential takeover target.

Shares of RIM, which fell to their lowest level since September earlier this week, rose $3.30, or 3.8%, to $88.95, while Nortel Networks gained 7¢, or 1.8%, to $3.83.

Energy stocks ignored a near 2% drop in oil prices as U.S. crude supply rose and focused on news that quarterly profit at Enbridge nearly quadrupled.

Enbridge shares rose $1.71, or 2.8%, to $61.00, while EnCana Corp. added 96¢, or 1.3%, to $73.12.

The junior S&P/TSX Venture composite index slipped 4.46 points to 1,799.61.

In New York, U.S. stocks ended higher for the second session in a row, lifted by better-than-expected earnings from companies such as Texas Instruments Inc. and a retreat in crude oil prices.

The Dow Jones industrial average was up 37.03 points, or 0.35%, to close at 10,498.59. The S&P 500 Index was up 5.66 points, or 0.48%, to end at 1,174.07. The tech-havey Nasdaq composite index was up 26.14 points, or 1.29%, to finish at 2,046.09.