North American markets closed higher but the loonie sank as solid U.S. job figures helped settle investors’ nerves following a turbulent couple of weeks.

The Toronto Stock Exchange’s S&P/TSX composite index was up 125.38 points at 14,259.84.

The loonie finished the day at 76.69 cents U.S., down 0.22 of a cent from Thursday’s close.

In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average climbed 250.86 points at 18,146.74, the broader S&P 500 composite index advanced 32.00 points to 2,129.90 and the Nasdaq composite gained 79.95 points to 4,956.76.

The August crude contract rose 27 cents at $45.41 (U.S.) per barrel and August natural gas was up two cents at $2.80 (U.S.) per mmBTU.

The August gold contract fell $3.70 to $1,358.40 (U.S.) an ounce and September copper contracts were virtually flat at $2.12 (U.S.) a pound.

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