Canada's main stock index climbs on gold gains

Canada's main stock index rose Tuesday on a surge in major gold miners and positive Chinese economic figures. The Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index was up 11. 23 points, or 0.08 percent, to 13,324.01 points, as investors are regaining confidence from the gold sector as February bullion rose to 1,264.10 U.S. dollars, a three-week high. Meanwhile, positive economic data from China also underpinned the strength. China's factory production rose 10 percent in November from a year earlier and retail sales rose 13.7 percent, the official data released Tuesday showed. Shares of Barrick Gold Corporation, the world's biggest gold producer, rose 5.29 percent to 17.91 Canadian dollars (about 16.88 U.S. dollars). Goldcorp Inc. shares were also up 3.04 percent to 23.08 Canadian dollars apiece. The tech sector was up 1.87 percent. Shares of CGI Group Inc., the IT strategic planning provider, jumped 3.2 percent to 37.12 Canadian dollars apiece. However, BlackBerry shares closed at 6.32 Canadian dollars, shaking off 3.44 percent of its shares value and hitting its lowest level in more than a decade. The financial sector was down 0.46 percent as five U.S financial agencies on Tuesday approved Volcker Rule, which would aim at preventing banks from engaging in proprietary trading. Shares of Canada's biggest bank, Royal Bank of Canada, declined 0. 57 percent to 69.35 Canadian dollars. Toronto-Dominion Bank shares were also down 0.38 percent to 95.96 Canadian dollars. In other sectors, the metals and mining was down 0.86 percent, but the energy gained 0.29 percent. In currency front, the Canadian dollar rose to 0.943 U.S. dollar Tuesday, compared with 0.9405 U.S. dollar in Monday's trading.