Stock futures pointed to a higher opening for Canada's main stock index on Thursday
The S&P/TSX composite index gained 84.78 points to close Wednesday at 15,561.95. The market has run its winning streak to five straight sessions and is up 14% since January 1. Futures were pointed up 0.7% Thursday.
The Canadian dollar gained 0.07 cents to 91.22 cents U.S. early Thursday.
An experimental drug from Tekmira Pharmaceuticals helped lab monkeys recover from the most deadly strain of Marburg virus, a close cousin of Ebola, even after symptoms appeared, scientists said.
Bombardier has appointed a company veteran to head its new Aerostructures and Engineering Services division, it said, the most recent change at the company as it struggles to push its new CSeries aircraft into commercial service.
Canaccord Genuity raised the price target on Canadian Western Bank to $44 from $42
Speaking of things economic, Statistics Canada reported this morning that the number of people receiving regular Employment Insurance benefits was little changed in June at 501,900, this, following a slight decline in May.
ON BAYSTREET
The TSX Venture Exchange sagged 0.86 points Wednesday to 996.70
ON WALLSTREET
U.S. stock markets are sitting near record levels and investors might just push them into new territory Thursday.
Ahead of the opening bell, futures for the Dow Jones Industrials gained 43 points, or 0.3%, to 16,993. Futures for the S&P 500 took on 4.25 points, or 0.2%, to 1,987.50, and futures for the NASDAQ added six points, or 0.2%, to 4,045.50.
Investors will be watching shares in UPS Thursday after the company reported a data breach at 51 of its U.S. stores. The delivery company said customers' names, postal addresses, email addresses and payment card information may have been compromised between January and August.
UPS said it was alerted to the data breach by government sources, along with "many other U.S. retailers."
Dollar Tree and Hormel Foods, the maker of Spam, will report earnings before the opening bell.
Salesforce and Intuit will report after the close, as well as retailers Aeropostale, Gap and New York & Co.
The U.S. government was to report weekly jobless claims at 8:30 a.m. ET. Data on existing home sales in July will be posted at 10 a.m. ET.
Markets are waiting for the start of the Jackson Hole Economic Policy Symposium, which kicks off later today. The annual event brings together central bankers, policy experts and academics to discuss important economic issues, and this year's focus will be on labour market trends.
Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen delivers her keynote speech Friday. Any surprise statements by the Fed chair tend to move markets dramatically as people reset their expectations for interest rates and monetary policy.
European markets were gaining ground in early trading. Manufacturing data in China provided a negative surprise, but preliminary August purchasing managers' surveys in Europe were slightly better than expected. Asian markets were mixed.
Oil prices sifted off 72 cents to $92.73 U.S. a barrel
Gold prices dropped $14.60 to $1,280.40 U.S. an ounce.
