Gold and financial stocks helped push Bay Street into the black Friday morning, while U.S. markets were mixed despite strong earnings from Microsoft Corp. and a pair of bullish economic reports.

At midday, Toronto S&P/TSX composite index was up 54.21 points or 0.58% at 9329.31, after falling 48 points Thursday. The TSX Venture Exchange moved 0.56 of a point or 0.03% higher to 1686.07.

On Wall Street, the Dow Jones industrials seesawed through the morning session, ending up 14.11 points or 0.14% at 10084.48 at midday. The Nasdaq composite slipped 8.23 points or 0.43% at 1895.95. The S&P 500 index was up 0.59 of a point or 0.05% at 1143.81.

The Canadian dollar continued to slide, losing 0.36 of a cent to US79.53.

In Toronto, gold shares were up 1.56% as a group as weakness in the U.S. dollar sparked interest in gold futures, with the benchmark June contract rising $3.20 to US$435.60 an ounce. Placer Dome Inc. was among the bigger gainers, adding 16¢ or 0.96% to $16.78 in heavy trading.

Financial stocks were ahead by 0.49% with Royal Bank of Canada adding 45¢ or 0.61% to $74.70, while Brascan Corp. was up 47¢ or 1.06% to $44.72.

The metals and mines sector was stronger, gaining 1.34%, as Teck Cominco Ltd. advanced $1.10 of 2.80% to $40.35.

In New York, technology shares, particularly those of online retailers, dropped sharply after the University of Michigan’s consumer confidence report showed a larger-than-expected drop in consumers’ feelings about the economy. Investors feared that cautious consumers could curtail online shopping and big-ticket tech spending.

That wiped out the market’s early gains from a Commerce Department report that showed a 0.5% increase in income and a 0.6% hike in spending for March, and a Labor Department report that said labor costs for businesses were falling. In addition, nervousness about interest rates grew ahead of the Federal Reserve’s meeting on Tuesday.

Crude oil futures continued their downward trend, with a barrel of light crude quoted at US$51.10, down 67¢, on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Microsoft Corp. gained 44¢ or 1.80% to US$24.89 as the software company doubled its quarterly net income from a year ago, though revenue fell short of Wall Street’s expectations. The company gave a stronger-than-expected profit outlook as well.

Overseas, Japan’s markets were closed Friday for a national holiday. In afternoon trading in Europe, Britain’s FTSE 100 was up 0.32%, Germany’s DAX index climbed 0.22%, and France’s CAC-40 gained 0.02%.