The Globe and Mail reports in its Friday edition that Canada's main stock index extended its record-setting run on Thursday, led by gains for resource and financial shares, as commodity prices rose and U.S. retail sales data bolstered investor optimism about the economy. A Reuters dispatch to The Globe says that the S&P/TSX Composite Index ended up 129.28 points at 24,690.48, another record high. On Wall Street, the S&P 500 and Nasdaq pared their gains to end flat, while the Dow notched a record closing high. U.S. retail sales increased 0.4 per cent in September, slightly more than expected, while weekly jobless claims fell unexpectedly. "You have an economy that remains on solid footing, corporate profits on the rise, and central banks letting off the brakes," said Angelo Kourkafas at Edward Jones Investments. Oil settled 0.4 per cent higher at $70.67 (U.S.) a barrel after data showed falling crude and fuel inventories in the United States. Toronto's energy group rose 1.2 per cent, while materials added 0.7 per cent as gold climbed to an all-time high. Financials in Toronto advanced 0.6 per cent as bank stocks added to their recent gains helped along by expectations of an outsized 50-basis-point rate cut.