CANADA STOCKS-TSX rises the most in six months as US dollar slides

By Fergal Smith

Feb 9 (Reuters) - Canada's main stock index posted its largest gain in six months on Monday as a weaker U.S. dollar helped lift metal mining shares, with the index moving back in reach of the record closing high it posted in January.

The S&P/TSX Composite Index .GSPTSE ended up 552.34 points, or 1.7%, at 33,023.32, its biggest advance since August 5.

U.S. benchmark the S&P 500 was also up, as technology stocks found their footing following last week's AI-sparked selloff and investors waited for key economic data that could shed light on the Federal Reserve's interest-rate path.

"It's a risk-on day and markets are running with it," said Allan Small, senior investment advisor of the Allan Small Financial Group with iA Private Wealth, adding that producers of U.S. dollar-denominated commodities were major drivers of the rally as the greenback lost ground.

The U.S. dollar .DXY fell 0.8% against a basket of major currencies following a report that Chinese regulators have advised financial institutions to curb their exposure to U.S. Treasury bonds.

The materials group .GSPTTMT, which includes metal mining shares, rose 4.7%. Gold XAU= was up 2.3% and copper HGc1 added 1.3%.

The price of oil also rose, settling 1.3% higher at $64.36 a barrel, on renewed concerns that tensions between the U.S. and Iran could lead to oil supply disruptions. Energy .SPTTEN was up 0.4%.

Bank of Montreal BMO.TO has named Catherine Blaesing and Jerome Doucet as co-heads of global corporate banking within its capital markets team, an internal memo from Carrie Cook, its global head of investment and corporate banking, showed.

Shares of BMO rose 1.5%, while the heavily weighted financials group .SPTTFS added 1.1%. Technology .SPTTTK ended 2% higher with shares of e-commerce company Shopify Inc SHOP.TO up nearly 5%.

Just two of 10 major sectors ended lower, including utilities, which was down 0.3%.