Canwest News Service Canada's benchmark stock index closed higher on Wednesday after a choppy day of trading that saw it reach its highest level in more than a year. The S&P/TSX composite bucked the downward trend of most North American, European and Asian markets, rising 17.53 points, or 0.15 per cent, to 11,647.53 as the close approached. Earlier in the day it had risen to 11,702.24, its highest point since October 2008. Financials and industrials led the sub-indexes, with Potash and TD Bank at the head of the gainers. The price of crude oil was up 44 cents to $79.58 US a barrel, while gold prices closed $1.80 higher, at $1,141.20 US an ounce. Late in the afternoon, the Canadian dollar was trading at 94.84 cents US. Meanwhile, markets were lower south of the border on disappointing earnings results from two key technology companies, Autodesk Inc. and Salesforce.com Inc. , and a report from the U.S. Commerce Department that housing starts had dropped unexpectedly in October. As the closing bell approached, the Dow Jones industrial average was down by 12.32 points, or 01.2 per cent, to 10,425.10, while the Nasdaq composite index had fallen by 10.64 points, or 0.48 per cent, to 2,193.14.

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