Toronto stocks posted a small gain on Thursday after trading lower for much of the session. At the close of trading, the S&P/TSX composite index was up 9.59 points at 7,792.80.

The heavily-weighted financial services index fell 0.5%, giving back some of its recent gains that have propelled it to a year-high.

The mining index fell 0.4% after Inco issued a third-quarter profit warning after the market close on Wednesday. Inco shares fell 60¢ to $40.65.

Gold stocks gained 1.7% as gold futures rose slightly. Barrick Gold rose 40¢ to $25. Placer Dome climbed 41¢ to $18.90.

In other earnings news, Sears Canada shares added $1.04 to $19.74 after it posted higher profits.

Soft drink bottler Cott gained 93¢ to $34.76 as it reported higher profits and raised guidance for the year.

TD Bank dropped 56¢ to $42.89 as it announced a $720 million outsourcing deal with IBM Canada.

The junior S&P/TSX Venture composite index climbed 9.60 points to close at 9,791.72.

U.S. blue-chip stocks fell as IBM and Caterpillar disappointed investors with their earnings reports.

The Dow Jones industrial average was down11.33 points to close at 9,791.72, well off its lowest levels of the day.

The tech-heavy Nasdaq composite index was up 11.04 points to close at 1950.14, reversing earlier losses. The broader S&P 500 gained 3.31 points to close at 1,050.07.

The Canadian dollar soared over the US76¢ level for the first time in almost 10 years before settling back in the afternoon.

The loonie closed at US75.87¢, up 0.47 of a cent — its highest close since January 1994.

The dollar was bolstered by Wednesday’s Bank of Canada decision not to lower interest rates. That preserved the 1.75 percentage point spread between Canadian and U.S. overnight interest rates.