The Globe and Mail reports in its Thursday, Dec. 14, edition that Canadian stocks surged to a sharply higher close on Wednesday. A Reuters dispatch to The Globe reports that Canada's main stock index rose almost 2 per cent to a 10-month high in a broad-based rally. The S&P/TSX Composite Index was up 395.61 points, or 1.96 per cent, at 20,629.45, its highest close since Feb. 3. The real estate and the utilities sectors, which underperformed in an era of higher interest, were the top performers. Among individual stocks, Bank of Nova Scotia added 1.1 per cent after Canada's No. 4 lender unveiled plans to focus more at home and in Mexico in chief executive officer Scott Thomson's first shareholder meeting. H & R Real Estate Investment Trust jumped nearly 10 per cent after announcing the sale of Toronto waterfront property, 25 Dockside Dr., for $232.5-million. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq hit fresh closing highs for the year on Wednesday. The Dow closed at an all-time peak Wednesday from its September, 2022, low. It was led by Boeing, which has more than doubled over that time, and by Salesforce and Intel, both soaring over 70 per cent.