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TSX ends up 0.4% at 24,846.82

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Energy adds 0.8%; oil increases 1.2%

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Technology gains 0.9%

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BlackBerry climbs to 1-year high

(Updates at market close)

By Ragini Mathur and Fergal Smith

Dec 24 (Reuters) - Canada's main stock index rose on

Tuesday in holiday-thinned trading as higher oil prices boosted

energy shares, with the index adding to its gains over the

previous two sessions to claw back some of its monthly decline.

The Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index

ended up 97.84 points, or 0.4%, at 24,846.82. Still,

the index has lost 3.1% since the beginning of the month after

notching in November its biggest monthly gain in a year.

"I think we borrowed earlier this year from the 'Santa Claus

rally', meaning the gains you would normally have seen this time

of year, we have probably already experienced those gains

earlier in November," said Allan Small, senior investment

adviser at Allan Small Financial Group with iA Private Wealth.

The "Santa Claus rally" refers to historically strong gains

for the stock market in the last five trading days of the year

combined with the first two of the following year.

Trading volumes were lighter than usual on Tuesday, and the

market closed at 1:00 p.m. ET (1800 GMT), rather than its usual

closing time of 4:00 p.m., ahead of the Christmas Day and Boxing

Day holidays.

Eight of 10 major sectors on the TSX ended higher. They

included a gain of 0.8% for the energy sector as the price of

oil increased 1.2% to $70.04 a barrel.

Gold and copper prices also edged up. The

materials group, which includes metal mining shares, added 0.2%.

Technology was up 0.9% as BlackBerry Ltd ( BB ) added to

its recent gains. Shares of the systems software company rose

4.1% to the highest level since December 2023.