Higher energy and mining stocks took the Toronto stock market slightly higher Friday as the price of crude oil above remained about US$51 a barrel.

Toronto’s S&P/TSX composite index was 23.33 points higher, or 0.24%, at 9,602.38 in early afternoon trading.

The junior S&P/TSX Venture composite index was up 5.58 points, or 0.34%, at 1,629.53.

The TSX energy sector was a head 0.98%. Gainers included Nexen Inc., up 50¢ to $33, and Canadian Natural Resources Ltd., up 93¢ to $36.33.

Shares in High Point Resources Inc. jumped 12¢, or 7.3% to $1.75 after the company delivered a positive update on its well in Alberta. It said Thursday production from the well could commence in August.

The heavily weighted financials group was down 0.09%, even though Royal Bank reported second-quarter profit was up 19% from a year ago to $907 million.

RBC is also shedding its national mortgage business in the U.S.

RBC shares were off 52¢, or 0.68%, at $75.48.

Elsewhere in the sector, Laurentian Bank’s second-quarter profit declined to $10.6 million from $11.4 million. Its shares fell 81¢, or 2.9%, to 27.49.

The materials group was ahead 0.77%, as the price of gold bullion advanced 20¢ to US$418.20 an ounce and the U.S. dollar weakened slightly.

On Wall Street, U.S. stocks were barely changed before the holiday weekend.

U.S. stock, bond and NYMEX energy markets will be closed on Monday to mark Memorial Day.

At midday, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 7.54 points, or 0.07%, at 10,530.16. The S&P 500 was down 0.85 of a point, or 0.07%, at 1,196.77. The tech-heavy Nasdaq composite index was down 0.77 of a point, or 0.04%, at 2,070.47.

U.S. personal income rose in April at the fastest pace this year while people’s spending slowed after a big jump in March. The U.S. Commerce Department said incomes rose by 0.7% last month, reflecting a big jump in hiring by private sector businesses.

The increase followed two 0.5% gains in February and March. Consumer spending rose 0.6% in April, down from a 0.9% jump in March.

The final read on May consumer confidence from the University of Michigan also failed to spark buying. The index came in at 86.9, which was better than the 86 reading that had been forecast. But the index slipped below last month’s final read of 87.7.