Toronto stocks got a lift Wednesday from stronger technology and metals issues. However, the gains were tempered by declines in energy and health care shares. At midday, the S&P/TSX composite index was up 19.67 points, or 0.21%, at 9,415.09.

Volume was 117 million shares.

Seven of the TSX index’s 10 main groups were higher, led by a 1.1% gain in the resource-heavy materials group and a 2.45% rise in technology stocks.

However, the TSX energy group was off 1.66%.

Ivanhoe Mines, which announced plans to form an alliance with Japan’s Mitsui & Co to develop copper, gold and coal projects in Mongolia, was up 59¢, or 7%, at $8.94.

Other gainers included Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan, up $3.20, or 3.2%, at $103.82 and Cameco Corp, which rose 22¢, or 0.45%, to $48.69.

Cognos helped the technology index with a jump of $1.86, or 3.7%, to $51.69.

The healthcare group was down 1.25% after Biovail said the U.S. Food and Drug Authority had asked it to provide more clinical data for its once-daily version of the pain drug Tramadol.

Biovail shares were down $1.10, or 5.3%, at $19.55.

The junior S&P/TSX Venture composite index fell 29.28 points, or 1.58%, 1,826.53.

On Wall Street, U.S. stocks rallied oil prices eased, a government report showed brisk economic growth in the fourth quarter.

Crude for May delivery fell $1.27 to US$52.96 after a government survey showed crude inventories rose sharply last week.

At midday, the Dow Jones industrial average was ahead 106.70 points, or 1.03%, at 10,512.40. The S&P 500 Index was up 11.46 points, or 0.98%, at 1,176.82. The tech-heavy Nasdaq composite index was up 26.60 points, or 0.98%, at 2,000.48.