Canada’s main stock index closed up almost 300 points Monday ahead of Statistics Canada releasing its latest inflation data on Wednesday, while U.S. markets were also up. 

The S&P/TSX Composite Index was up 294.67 points, or 1.61 per cent, at 18,621.02.

In New York, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 550.99 points at 30,185.82. The S&P 500 index was up 94.88 points at 3,677.95, while the Nasdaq Composite was up 354.41 points at 10,675.80.

The Canadian dollar traded for 72.83 cents U.S. compared with 72.17 cents U.S. on Friday.

The December crude oil contract was down 12 cents at US$84.53 per barrel and the November natural gas contract was down 45 cents at US$6.00 per mmBTU.

The December gold contract was up US$15.10 at US$1,664 an ounce and the December copper contract was down nearly a penny at US$3.42 a pound.