Strength in the energy, telecommunications and technology sectors helped lead Canada's main stock index higher in late-morning trading, while U.S. stock markets were down.

The S&P/TSX Composite Index was up 25.54 points, or 0.13 per cent, at 20,322.63.

In New York, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 93.05 points at 33,442.86. The S&P 500 Index was down 6.70 points at 4,191.35, while the Nasdaq Composite was down 29.31 points at 12,659.53.

The Canadian dollar traded for 74.05 cents U.S. compared with 74.07 cents U.S. on Thursday.

The July crude contract was up six cents at US$72.00 per barrel and the June natural gas contract was up seven cents at US$2.66 per mmBTU.

The June gold contract was up US$3.60 at US$1,963.40 an ounce and the July copper contract was up four cents at US$3.73 a pound.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 19, 2023.