Gains in energy and financial stocks buoyed the benchmark index of the Toronto Stock Exchange on Thursday.

The S&P/TSX composite index rose 97.26 points or 1.1%, to 9,343,37.

The TSX financial sector was up 2.4% as Royal Bank gained $1.22 to $42.35 and Manulife Financial advanced 82 cents to $20.04.

Oil prices rose, lifting the TSX energy sector. Crude in New York rose 76 cents to US$50.01 a barrel.

Canadian Natural Resources rose $1.04 to $55.78 and Petro-Canada climbed 68¢ to $37.99.

Slumping bullion prices weighed on gold stocks. The TSX gold sub-index fell 3.2% as bullion tumbled US$18.50 to US$875 an ounce in New York.

Barrick Gold Corp. fell $2.04 to $33.93 and Goldcorp Inc. dropped $2.62 to $34.10.

Among individual stocks, newsprint giant AbitibiBowater Inc. filed for bankruptcy protection from creditors in the United States and will seek similar protection in Canada on Friday.

Abitibi shares have been suspended from trading on the TSX, where they closed Wednesday at 61¢.

Agrium Inc. reaffirmed its bid to takeover CF Industries Holdings Inc. for US$3.8 billion. Agrium shares rose 97¢ to $50.47.

The junior S&P/TSX Venture composite index dipped 5.81 points, or 0.59%, to finish at 982.13.

The Canadian dollar slipped 0.44 of a cent to close at US82.67¢, ahead of Friday’s inflation numbers from Statistics Canada.

In New York, U.S. stocks rallied results from Google and J.P. Morgan stoked investor optimism.

Before the bell, J.P. Morgan’s results beat expectations as debt trading and underwriting revenue surged.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 95.81 points, or 1.19%, to 8,125.43. The S&P 500 gained 13.24 points, or 1.55%, to 865.30. The Nasdaq composite index surged 43.64 points, or 2.68%, to 1,670.44.

Google shares climbed 2.4% ahead of the tech-bellwhether reporting a stronger-than-expected first-quarter profit.

IE