Downtown office buildings Toronto
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Canada’s main stock index inched higher for a second straight day on gains by clothing retailer Aritzia and a deal to end a GM strike in the U.S. helping Canadian auto parts companies.

The S&P/TSX composite index closed up 8.79 points at 16,427.18.

In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 22.82 points at 27,001.98. The S&P 500 index was down 5.99 points at 2,989.69, while the Nasdaq composite was down 24.52 points at 8,124.18.

The Canadian dollar traded for an average of US75.75¢ compared with an average of US75.69¢ on Tuesday.

The November crude contract was up US55¢ at US$53.36 per barrel and the November natural gas contract was down US3.6¢ at US$2.30 per mmBTU.

The December gold contract was up US$10.50 at US$1,494.00 an ounce and the December copper contract was down US2.45¢ at US$2.59 a pound.