Financial and energy shares boosted the Toronto stock market to a record high close on Monday.

The S&P/TSX composite index gained 55.12 points, or 0.42%, to 13,166.69, surpassing the previous record high close of 13,144.74 set on Thursday.

Overall, eight of the 10 TSX main groups were higher, with the heavyweight energy and financial services sectors providing most of the support, gaining 0.6% and 0.7%, respectively.

Energy shares advanced as frigid weather in North America lifted natural gas prices15.8¢ to US$7.634 per thousand cubic feet.

The March crude contract on the New York Mercantile Exchange reversed direction, bouncing off the US$60 a barrel level, to finish the session down 28¢ to US$58.74 a barrel.

EnCana Corp. gained 60¢ to $57.72.

Ivanhoe Energy Inc. rose up 28¢ to $2.18 after the company completed a successful test run of a heavy crude upgrader at a California demonstration facility.

Among the gainers in the financials were Royal Bank of Canada, which rose 20¢, or 0.4%, to finish at $54.45, while Manulife Financial gained 51¢, or 1.3%, to $40.78.

The resource-laden materials group ended flat, down 0.01%, as investors were unsure of the fallout from the fund-driven selloff in base metals late last week.

Teck Cominco slid 17¢, or 0.2%, to $84.15.

The TSX gold sector was ahead 0.3% as the April bullion contract on the Nymex advanced $4.60 to US$656.10 an ounce.

Barrick Gold Corp. gained 43¢ to $35.94.

Among individual stocks Brookfield Asset Management was front and centre in corporate news, with the conglomerate’s shares ahead $1.25 to $59.02.

Brookfield said it has struck a deal to acquire U.S. forest products company Longview Fibre Co. for US$2.15 billion, including assumed debt.

Meanwhile, Brookfield also faces competition for its friendly takeover of The Mills Corp. Simon Property Group Inc. and Farallon Capital Management are offering US$24 a share for the mall company, beating Brookfield’s offer of US$21 a share.

The junior S&P/TSX Venture composite index was up 3.18 points, or 0.11%, to 2,974.8.

The Canadian dollar added 0.21 of a cent to US84.56¢.

In New York, markets were weak. Last week’s strong showing prompted investors to take some profits while data showed a strengthening in the U.S. service sector and Wal-Mart provided positive January numbers.

The Dow Jones industrials rose 8.25 points, or 0.07%, to 12,661.74. The Nasdaq composite index eased 5.28 points, or 0.21%, to 2,470.6 while the S&P 500 dipped 1.4 points, or 0.10%, to 1,446.99.

Investors got some reassurance from the U.S. non-manufacturing sector. The Institute for Supply Management’s non-manufacturing index came in at a reading of 59, better than the 57 reading that had been expected and indicating continued expansion in the service sector.