Record high gold prices boosted gold stocks and led the benchmark index of the Toronto Stock Exchange to a triple-digit gain Tuesday.

The S&P/TSX composite finished up 145.35 points, or 1.3%, at 11,247.97.

Eight of the index’s 10 sectors were higher, led by a 4.14% surge in the materials group, which is home to gold miners.

Gold prices hit a record high above US$1,040 an ounce.

In Toronto, Barrick Gold was up 3.98% at $41.25. Goldcorp share were up 4.8% at $44.22.

Yamana Gold gained 7.6% to $12.05 after it said third-quarter production rose 9% from the previous quarter, while costs remained in line with expectations.

TSX energy shares got a boost after a U.S. government agency raised its forecast for world oil demand for the fourth quarter, lifting oil prices above US$71 a barrel.

Suncor Energy gained 2.7% to $36.45, while shares of Talisman Energy rose 5.5% to $19.29.

Gains in commodity prices also helped lift the S&P/TSX Venture composite index and the Canadian dollar.

The junior index added 27.15 points, or 2.16%, to close at 1,281.40.

The loonie jumped 0.53 of a cent to US94.38¢.

In New York, stocks rose for second straight session.

The Dow Jones industrial average was up 131.50 points, or 1.37%, at 9,731.25. The S&P 500 was up 14.26 points, or 1.37%, at 1,054.72. The Nasdaq composite index was up 35.42 points, or 1.71%, at 2,103.57.

IE