* TSX up 47 points, or 0.31 percent, to 15,087.30
* Eight of the TSX's 10 main groups higher
TORONTO, Sept 12 (Reuters) - Canada's main stock index rose on Tuesday, helped by financial sector gains and moves higher in shares of Agrium Inc AGU.TO and Potash Corp of Saskatchewan POT.TO after a competition watchdog gave their planned merger a green light.
At 9:56 a.m. ET (1356 GMT), the Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index .GSPTSE was up 47 points, or 0.31 percent, to 15,087.30. Eight of its 10 main sectors were higher.
Agrium gained 0.9 percent to C$125.43 and Potash Corp rose 1 percent to C$22.40 after Canada's Competition Bureau said it will not challenge their proposed merger. Inc BBDb.TO rose 0.8 percent to C$2.43 as Britain and Canada team up to intervene in a dispute between the Canadian aircraft maker and Boeing (NYSE:BA) Co BA.N . heavyweight financials group gained 0.3 percent, with Toronto-Dominion Bank TD.TO up 0.6 percent at C$66.80 and insurer Manulife Financial Corp MFC.TO adding 0.5 percent to C$24.07 as Hurricane Irma appeared to have caused less damage than feared.
Energy stocks tracked oil prices slightly higher, while Nuvista Energy Ltd NVA.TO jumped 5.8 percent to C$6.91 after it reaffirmed its 2017 guidance.
Centerra Gold CG.TO rose 0.8 percent to C$9.14, a day after saying it had reached agreement with Kyrgyzstan over its Kumtor gold mine. materials group, which includes precious and base metals miners and fertilizer companies, added 0.5 percent.