The Toronto Stock Exchange continued its rally on Wednesday, finishing with gains for a fifth consecutive session as commodity prices continued to climb.

The S&P/TSX composite index gained 59.77 points, or 0.5%, to close at 11,555.60.

A boost in oil futures helped the energy group gain 0.9% on Wednesday. Crude oil for October delivery rose US$1.58, or 2.2%, to finish at US$72.51 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Shares of Suncor Energy Inc. jumped 2% to $39.44 and Canadian Oil Sands Trust units rose 2.8% to $29.06.

Heavily traded units of Daylight Resources Ltd. finished at $9.05, up 5.2%, while Harvest Energy Trust surged 7.9% to $7.10.

Shares of Talisman Energy retreated, dipping nearly 1% to $19.42.

The materials group and the sub-gold index each gained 0.8% on Wednesday as gold futures climbed higher. Gold for December delivery, the most actively traded contract, finished at US$1,020.20 an ounce, up US$13.90, or 1.4%, on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Shares of Iamgold Corp. jumped 3.3% to $16.74 and Inmet Mining Ltd. rose 3.5% to $61.04.

Also higher was Teck Resources Ltd., up 2.6% to $30.00, and Eldorado Gold Corp., up 3.3% to $13.00.

First Quantum Minerals Ltd. saw its shares plunge 5.9% on Wednesday after it announced that it has suspended construction of its Kolwezi copper project in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The company’s shares closed at $70.35, down $4.43.

Meanwhile, the financials group edged up 0.4%.

Gainers included Manulife Financial Corp., up 1.5% to $21.65, and Canadian Western Bank, up 4% to $20.22.

Finishing lower was Onex Corp., down 2.7% to $24.14, and Power Corp., off 1.2% to $28.39.

Junior stocks also advanced, boosting the S&P/TSX Venture composite index by 15.19 points, or 1.2%, to 1,284.54.

The loonie soared by more than half a cent on Wednesday, to close at US93.91¢.

In New York, the main U.S. stock market indices experienced strong gains to finish at new 11-month highs, bolstered by more positive economic data.

The Federal Reserve reported that industrial production advanced by 0.8% in August, beating analyst expectations, as factories boosted production of cars, machinery, food products, clothing and other goods.

The Dow Jones industrial average climbed 108.30 points, or 1.1%, to end at 9,791.71.

The S&P 500 index rose 16.13 points, or 1.5%, to 1,068.76.

The Nasdaq composite index jumped 30.51 points, or 1.5%, to 2,133.15.

After the bell, business software giant Oracle Corp. said its quarterly profit rose 4% despite a 5% drop in sales.

IE