Toronto stocks roared ahead Thursday, as the resource sector paced the market to a triple-digit gain. The S&P/TSX composite index finished up 144.36, or 1.35%, to 10,813.30, its highest close since September 2000.

Volume on the senior exchange was 272 million shares.

Seven of the 10 TSX main sub-groups were up, with the energy sector gaining 2.69%.

A barrel of light crude settled at US$69.47, up 53¢, on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Gasoline futures on the Nymex moved up 15.5¢ to US$2.41 a gallon.

On the TSX, Western Oil Sands increased $1.20, or 4.09%, to $30.55, while Shell Canada gained $1.70, or 4.42%, to $40.20.

The gold sector spiked 4.11%. The October gold contract on the Nymex jumped $8.40 to US$443.50 an ounce as the greenback weakened.

Kinross Gold Corp. gained 65¢, or 8.72%, to $8.10.

The Canadian dollar closed up 0.26 of cent to US84.50¢.

The junior S&P/TSX Venture composite index gained 22.57 points, or 1.17%, to 1,994.50.

In New York, markets were mixed as investors weighed poor economic news and the effects of hurricane Katrina against positive corporate news.

The Dow Jones industrial average fell 21.97 points, or 0.21%, to 10,459.63 after posting a 68-point gain Wednesday.The S&P 500 index rose 1.26, or 0.1%, to 1,221.59, and the Nasdaq composite index dropped 4.19 points, or 0.19%, to 2,147.90.

U.S. retailers Costco Wholesale Corp. and J.C. Penney Co. Inc. reported strong results, while Wal Mart Stores’ numbers were slightly off.