Feb 15 (Reuters) - Canada's main stock index rose on Thursday as gains in the financial sector and shares of TransCanada Corp TRP.TO offset a decline in natural resource companies.
* The Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index .GSPTSE ended up 79.39 points, or 0.52 percent, at 15,407.66.
* Investors were taking in a slew of Canadian corporate earnings, while global markets rose. MKTS/GLOB
* TransCanada was the biggest lift on the index, climbing 5.0 percent to C$56.33 after it reported strong fourth-quarter profit and said it would go ahead with the expansion of its NGTL natural gas system. The financials group .SPTTFS also helped support the market, gaining 0.4 percent as Toronto-Dominion Bank TD.TO rose 0.7 percent to C$72.81, while Brookfield Asset Management BAMa.TO was up 2.2 percent at C$49.43.
* Bombardier BBDb.TO jumped 11.3 percent to C$3.66 following better-than-expected results and as Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) DAL.N said it would go ahead with plans to buy some Canadian-made CSeries jets after a U.S. trade ruling stopped the United States from imposing steep duties on the aircraft. Canadian Tire Corp CTCa.TO climbed 6.6 percent to C$174.48 after the retailer reported better-than-expected quarterly profit amid an early winter in some parts of the country. On the downside, Barrick Gold Corp ABX.TO shed 3.0 percent to C$16.62 after the world's biggest gold producer, forecast an output drop over the next four years. Barrick helped weigh on the materials sector .SPTTMT , which retreated 0.4 percent.
* Cenovus Energy CVE.TO dropped 5.3 percent to C$9.36 after the company said it was looking to sell assets in Western Canada's Deep Basin. The stock weighed on the energy sector .SPTTEN , which lost 0.9 percent.
* The TSX posted 12 new 52-week highs and 10 new lows. Volume on the index was 248.75 million shares