The Globe and Mail reports in its Wednesday edition that U.S. stocks retreated from their records Tuesday after Iran fired missiles into Israel. A Reuters dispatch to The Globe says, however, that the S&P/TSX Composite Index was able to close slightly higher -- enough for a record high -- with the Canadian benchmark benefiting from higher oil and gold prices. It closed at 24,033.99, up 33.62 points. Gold's rise helped lift metal mining shares. Crude oil prices jumped amid speculation about how Israel and the United States may respond to Iran's move. Iran is a major producer of oil and the potential for a wider conflict could affect neighbouring producers. The price for a barrel of benchmark U.S. crude rose 2.4 per cent to settle at $69.83 (U.S.). That in turn sent shares of oil-and-gas producers to some of Wall Street's biggest gains. Shares of defence contractors also rallied. Northrop Grumman rose 3 per cent, and RTX added 2.7 per cent. The two biggest stocks in the market, Apple and Microsoft, both fell at least 2.2 per cent. "Stocks are vulnerable as we are at all-time highs, and valuations are stretched prior to the election," said Jay Hatfield, chief executive officer at Infrastructure Capital Advisors.