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Major North American indices made gains Thursday as investors felt geopolitical tensions started to ease.

The S&P/TSX composite index gained 125.72 points to 16,443.86.

In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average rose 214.66 points to 25,862.68. The S&P 500 index advanced 25.43 points to 2,876.39 and the Nasdaq composite added 75.90 points to 7,898.05.

The Canadian dollar averaged 74.41 cents US, compared with an average of 74.34 cents US on Wednesday.

The June crude contract was up 85 cents at US$62.87 per barrel, and the June natural gas contract was up 3.8 cents at about US$2.64 per mmBTU.

The June gold contract fell US$11.60 at US$1,286.30 an ounce, and the July copper contract gained about a penny at roughly US$2.75 a pound.