Toronto stocks closed higher on Monday after three losing sessions last week cut more than 3% from the Toronto Stock Exchange’s bench mark index.

The S&P/TSX composite index closed up 75.12 points, or 0.6%, at 12,553.09.

All but two of the TSX index’s 10 main groups ended higher.

The energy sector advanced 1.2%, even as oil prices fell.

A barrel of light sweet crude fell 22¢ to US$56.09 on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Petro-Canada gained 51¢ to $45.05 while Talisman Energy Inc. rose 28¢ to $18.46.

The resource-heavy materials group advanced along with higher gold prices.

Agnico-Eagle Mines Ltd. jumped 68¢, or 1.6 percent, to $44.66, while Agrium Inc. rose 28¢, or 0.8 percent, to $36.36.

Among individual stocks, Rogers Communications Inc. shares were 40¢ higher to $35.50 after the cable services provider said it has seen “solid subscriber results” in 2006, adding 610,300 net new wireless subscribers during the year.

The junior S&P/TSX Venture composite index gained 9.42 points, or 0.33%, to end at 2,831.65.

The Canadian dollar continued to lose ground, down 0.22 of a cent to US85.07¢.

New York markets also closed higher on lower oil prices and mixed corporate news on the eve of the start of the quarterly earnings reporting season.

The Dow Jones industrials moved up 25.48 points to 12,423.49. The Nasdaq climbed 3.95 points to 2,438.2 while the S&P 500 index rose 3.13 points to 1,412.84.

The fourth-quarter corporate earnings season kicks off Tuesday when Alcoa Inc. posts its quarterly results.