TORONTO — The materials sector helped lift Canada's main stock index to finish higher on Friday, while U.S. markets were down after the release of economic data on both sides of the border.

Greg Taylor, chief investment officer at PenderFund Capital Management, said markets moved toward a risk-off posture.

“I think what's compounding that a little bit is that August, which is normally one of the seasonally worst months of the year, is actually having a pretty good month,” he said.

“I think traders and investors are just looking at taking some profits and locking in some gains ahead of September, which is normally, again, another volatile period.”

The S&P/TSX composite index was up 129.65 points at 28,564.45.

In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 92.02 points at 45,544

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