(Adds details, updates price action)
* TSX up 190.6 points, or 1.5 percent, to 12,886.09
* Nine of the TSX's 10 main groups move higher
TORONTO, Dec 15 (Reuters) - Canada's main stock index jumped
on Tuesday, a day after hitting a more than two-year low, as
shares in energy companies rebounded along with crude prices and
heavyweight bank stocks also gained.
But the most influential mover on the index was Valeant
Pharmaceuticals International Inc VRX.TO , which surged 16.1
percent to C$150.02 after the company, which has been accused of
price gouging, said it would sell its skin and eye products at a
discount in more than 8,000 Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc's
WBA.O pharmacies in the United States.
The energy group climbed 1.9 percent as oil prices edged
higher off multi-year lows. Canadian Natural Resources CNQ.TO
advanced 3.0 percent to C$29.67 and Suncor Energy Inc SU.TO
rose 1.2 percent to C$34.98.
The heavyweight financial group climbed 1.3 percent, with
Royal Bank of Canada RY.TO advancing 1.4 percent to C$73.45
and Toronto-Dominion Bank TD.TO rising 1.3 percent to C$53.96.
At 10:30 a.m. EST (1530 GMT), the Toronto Stock Exchange's
S&P/TSX composite index .GSPTSE was up 190.6 points, or 1.5
percent, to 12,886.09.
Advancing issues outnumbered decliners more than 5 to 1.
Nine of the index's 10 main groups were in positive
territory, with the materials group barely lower as gold prices
XAU= slipped and copper CMCU3 fell. GOL/ MET/L
Hudson's Bay Co HBC.TO advanced 1.8 percent to C$17.03
after the Wall Street Journal reported it was close to buying
online retailer Gilt Groupe.
U.S. crude CLc1 prices were up 1.3 percent to $36.79 a
barrel, while Brent crude LCOc1 added 1.4 percent to
$38.44. O/R
Investors are awaiting Wednesday's conclusion of a Federal
Reserve policy meeting at which the U.S. central bank is widely
expected to raise interest rates for the first time in nearly a
decade.
Canadian manufacturing sales dropped by an unexpectedly
large 1.1 percent in October, marking a third consecutive
monthly fall, on broad-based weakness, data from Statistics
Canada showed on Tuesday.