The Toronto stock market ended a losing month with broad-based gains Friday, as investors found comfort in comments by two top U.S. officials.

The S&P/TSX composite index surged 215.85 points, or 1.6%, to close at 13,660.48.

The benchmark index finished the week up 1%, but lost 1.5% on the month.

The gains came as U.S. President George W. Bush and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke delivered speeches regarding the U.S. subprime mortgage turmoil and the resulting crisis gripping credit markets.

Bush unveiled plans to help some subprime borrowers to avoid foreclosure. Bernanke said the central bank was ready to act to curb the impact of the turbulence on the economy.

All 10 TSX main subgroups gained ground on Friday.

The energy sector was ahead 1.57% as energy futures rose on concerns of a tropical storm system forming in the Atlantic.

Light, sweet crude for October delivery rose 68¢ to US$74.04 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Petro-Canada rose 57¢ to $53.86 and Suncor Energy rose $2.15 to $94.60.

The metals and mines sector jumped 3% with Teck Cominco ahead $1.48 to $45.

Financials advanced 0.77%. Shares in Scotiabank rose $1.07 to $52.24 after the bank said it has agreed to buy a 79% stake in Chile’s Banco del Desarrollo.

The tech sector gained 2.8% as shares of software provider Open Text soared $4.84, or 22.6%, to $26.26 after the company soundly beat analyst expectations with fourth-quarter revenue of US$175 million up from $105 million in the same period last year.

BlackBerry maker Research In Motion gained $2.50, or 2.85%, to finish at $90.21, one day after rumors resurfaced that Microsoft may bid for the company.

The junior S&P/TSX Venture composite index climbed 61.81 points to 2,647.81.

The Canadian dollar finished ahead 0.22 of a cent to US94.68¢

In New York, U.S. stocks surged on Friday as Bush and Bernanke reassured investors they would do what was needed to shelter the economy from market turmoil.

The Dow Jones industrial average was up 119.01 points, or 0.9%, at 13,357.74. The S&P 500 was up 16.35 points, or 1.12%, at 1,473.99. The Nasdaq composite index was up 31.06 points, or 1.21%, at 2,596.36.

While the S&P and Dow fell for the week, all three indexes posted their first monthly gains since May. The Dow rose 1.1%, the S&P climbed 1.3%, while the Nasdaq surged 2% in August.