Strength in battery metals and financial stocks helped Canada's main stock index eke out a small gain Friday, while U.S. markets fell, led by losses in tech.

The S&P/TSX Composite Index closed up 54.50 points, or 0.26 per cent, at 20,622.34.

In New York, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 288.87 points at 34,618.24. The S&P 500 Index was down 54.78 points at 4,450.32, while the Nasdaq Composite was down 217.72 points at 13,708.33.

The Canadian dollar traded for 73.93 cents U.S. compared with 73.99 cents U.S. on Thursday.

The November crude contract was up 41 cents at US$90.02 per barrel and the October natural gas contract was down six cents at US$2.64 per mm/BTU.

The December gold contract was up US$13.40 at $1,946.20 an ounce and the December copper contract was down two cents at US$3.80 a pound.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 15, 2023.