* TSX up 85.98 points, or 0.64 percent, at 13,564.11
* Nine of the TSX's 10 main groups rise
TORONTO, March 17 (Reuters) - Canada's main stock index rose
on Thursday as higher oil prices supported energy stocks, while
the heavyweight financial and materials sectors also gained.
The move followed the U.S. Federal Reserve's scaling back of
its expectation of how many rate hikes it could implement this
year, which weighed on the U.S. currency and boosted risk
appetite.
The most influential gainers on the index included Royal
Bank of Canada RY.TO , which rose 0.4 percent to C$74.91, and
Canadian Natural Resources CNQ.TO , which advanced 1 percent to
C$36.58.
Pipeline operators also moved higher, with TransCanada Corp
TRP.TO up 1.2 percent to C$48.73 and Enbridge Inc ENB.TO
adding 1.1 percent to C$50.84.
The energy group climbed 1.1 percent, while financials
gained 0.4 percent.
U.S. crude CLc1 prices rose 2.3 percent to $39.35 a
barrel, while Brent crude LCOc1 added 1.2 percent to
$40.81. O/R
The materials group, which includes precious and base metals
miners and fertilizer companies, added 0.9 percent, including a
5.6 percent gain to C$10.41 for diversified miner Teck Resources
Ltd TCKb.TO despite having its debt rating downgraded by
Fitch.
At 10:13 a.m. EDT (1413 GMT), the Toronto Stock Exchange's
S&P/TSX composite index .GSPTSE was up 85.98 points, or 0.64
percent, at 13,564.11.
Nine of the index's 10 main groups were in positive
territory, with advancers outnumbering decliners by more that 3
to 1.
The healthcare sector fell 1.2 percent, with Valeant
Pharmaceuticals International Inc VRX.TO down 6.7 percent at
C$40.90 after sources told Reuters that the company's creditors
are preparing tough demands for default negotiations.