* TSX up 49.97 points, or 0.33 percent, at 15,223.00
* Eight of the TSX's 10 main groups move higher
TORONTO, Sept 18 (Reuters) - Canada's main stock index rose in morning trade on Monday, with gains for its heavyweight energy sector offsetting losses among gold miners.
The most influential movers on the index also included Potash Corp of Saskatchewan POT.TO , which gained 3.6 percent to C$23.61, and Agrium Inc AGU.TO , which was up 3.3 percent to C$132.34.
Last week, Canada's competition watchdog said it would not challenge a proposed merger between the two companies. energy group climbed 0.7 percent even as oil prices slipped from recent multimonth highs, with Encana Corp ECA.TO up 2.3 percent at C$13.00.
At 10:18 a.m. ET (1418 GMT), the Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index .GSPTSE was up 49.97 points, or 0.33 percent, at 15,223.00. Eight of the index's 10 main groups were in positive territory.
The materials group, which includes precious and base metals miners as well as fertilizer companies, added 0.1 percent.
The gold mining portion of the group weighed, with Kinross Gold Corp K.TO falling 1.9 percent to C$5.77 after saying it would spend more than $1 billion to expand two gold mines. Gold Corp ABX.TO fell 1.2 percent to C$20.81, and Goldcorp Inc G.TO lost 1.2 percent to C$15.95 as prices for bullion hit a 2-1/2-week low ahead of a two-day U.S. Federal Reserve meeting and as global equities surged.
Methanex Corp MX.TO rose 3.6 percent to C$63.80 after TD raised its price target on the stock.
IGM Financial IGM.TO advanced 3.6 percent to C$42.26 after BMO raised its rating to outperform from market perform and increased its target price.
A BMO cut on CI Financial Corp CIX.TO to market perform from outperform helped push it down 2.9 percent to C$26.64. financials group gained 0.2 percent while industrials rose 0.4 percent.
Canada's benchmark stock index notched a gain of more than 1 percent last week.