Stock futures indicated a higher opening for Canada's main stock index on Wednesday, a day after the index hit a one-week high.
The S&P/TSX Composite gained 16.58 points to end Tuesday at 14,764.77, with September futures nosing up 0.1%.
The Canadian dollar fell back 0.11 cents to 77.33 cents U.S. early Wednesday.
Royal Bank of Canada on Wednesday reported third-quarter results that beat market expectations, with funds set aside to cover bad loans falling thanks to higher oil prices.
Barclays raised the rating on Alimentation Couche-Tard to overweight from equal weight
CIBC raised the target price on Bank of Montreal to $88.00 from $85.00 with a sector perform rating
National Bank Financial upped the target on Alterra Power to $0.80 from $0.75, with an outperform rating
ON BAYSTREET
The TSX Venture Exchange sank 2.45 points Tuesday to 817.79
ON WALLSTREET
U.S. stock futures were little changed, as suspense reigns over remarks by Federal Reserve Janet Yellen, due for Friday.
Ahead of the opening bell, futures for the Dow Jones Industrials inched up six points to 18,534, while futures for the S&P 500 gained one point, or 0.1%, at 2,186.25. NASDAQ futures gained 4.25 points, or 0.1%, to 4,821.25
Intuit shares are falling by about 5% in extended trading as investors reacted with disappointment to its earnings.
Tesla stock could see higher-than-normal volumes Wednesday after it unveiled a new battery that it says will allow its Model S to go from 0 to 60 mph (about 100 kms.) in 2.5 seconds, making it the fastest production car in the world.
Clothing retailer Express will post quarterly results ahead of the open.
Another group of retailers -- including Calvin Klein parent PVH, Williams-Sonoma and Guess -- along with HP will report after the market closes.
As for economic reports, the U.S. National Association of Realtors will release fresh July data on existing homes sales at 10 a.m. ET.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration is reporting weekly crude oil inventory data at 10:30 a.m.
A deadly earthquake rocked central Italy overnight. An unknown number of people are trapped beneath rubble and at least 21 have died, according to CNN.
The quake seemed to subdue the mood in early European trading, but most regional indexes are now moving higher, and Italy's main market is trading up 0.5%. Insurance firm Generali has fully recovered after taking a 1% hit.
Asian markets are mixed as they closed out the day.
Oil prices slid 95 cents to $47.15 U.S. a barrel
Gold prices tumbled $4.10 to $1,342.00 U.S. an ounce.
