Stocks raced to the finish in Toronto, finishing higher for the fourth consecutive session. Bargain-hunters picked up battered & bruised tech stocks, leaving gold issues behind. The Toronto Stock Exchange S&P/TSX composite index closed up 86.38 points, or 1.31%, at 6,658.10.

Market momentum was positive as 566 issues advanced and 461 declined. Volume was thin, in line with recent sessions. It’s vacation time for many market players.

Nevertheless, tech stocks took the lead in today’s trading, moving ahead 5.81%. Investors are betting that tech rebound is near. Research In Motion Ltd. Added a whopping 11.2% – $1.83 to $18.18. Electronics manufacturer Celestica Inc. rose 8.4 percent, $3.12 to $40.20. Graphic chip-maker ATI Technologies added 8.7% – 88¢ to $11.04.

Market strength was broadly based with all the main subgroups ahead except for gold issues. After being rocked by corporate accounting scandals in recent weeks, stocks have stabilized.

In Toronto, bank stocks achieved showed moderate gains of led by Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce which rose 70¢ to $43.64. Royal Bank of Canada added 66¢ to $53.90. Royal Bank is due to begin the earnings reports for Canadian banks on Tuesday.

Gold shares fell 3.9%, today. Barrick Gold Corp. fell 88¢ to $23.67. Placer Dome Inc. slid 63¢ to $13.47.

Among the remaining winners, aluminum producer Alcan Inc. rose $2.37, or 5.7%, to $43.63. Forestry company Tembec Inc. added 60¢, or 5.1 percent, to $12.39.

The S&P/TSX Venture Composite Index closed down 7.15 at 1004.83. Trading was moderate on a volume of 21.6 million shares worth $6.7 million with 109 advances, 166 declines and 473 issues unchanged.

South of the border trading was positive, too. In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average added 212.73 points, or 2.42%, to 8,990.79. The NASDAQ composite index climbed 33.67 points, or 2.47%, to finish at 1,394.68.