Canada's main stock index was set to start higher Friday, tracking gains in oil prices that rose on fears that U.S. could issue new sanctions on Iran.
The S&P/TSX Composite settled 3.28 points to close Thursday at 15,399.11
The Canadian dollar slipped 0.19 cents to 76.55 cents U.S. early Friday.
Canaccord Genuity raised the rating on Atacama Pacific Gold to speculative buy from hold on the return to active status for the company’s marquee Cerro Maricunga gold project.
NBF cut the target price on BCE Inc. to $59.00 from $60.00 as 2017 guidance without MTS reflects lower growth ranges.
Desjardins raised the rating on Canadian Natural Resources to buy from hold following strong operational performance and recent selloff.
ON BAYSTREET
The TSX Venture Exchange gained 2.33 points Thursday to 816.23
ON WALLSTREET
Stock index futures traded higher on Friday after the U.S. Labor Department said the stateside economy added more jobs than expected last month.
Ahead of the opening bell, futures for the Dow Jones Industrials gained 56 points, or 0.3%, to 19,877. Futures for the S&P 500 strengthened 4.25 points, or 0.2%, to 2,279.75. NASDAQ futures picked up 5.25 points, or 0.1%, at 5,136.25.
Stocks were on track to post weekly losses amid uncertainty surrounding some of the Trump administration's policies.
On the earnings front, Clorox was among the companies that reported before the bell.
Non-farm payrolls grew by 227,000 in January while the unemployment rate edged higher to 4.8%. The report was the first since President Donald Trump took office on Jan. 20. In the past, Trump has been critical of the unemployment rate, saying it understates the actual level of joblessness.
Elsewhere on the data front, Markit services PMI is due at 9:45 a.m. ET, with the Institute for Supply Management non-manufacturing index and factory orders set to come out at 10 a.m. ET.
European issues were higher in the early afternoon on the continent, while the Nikkei was up only slightly and Chinese markets stumbled after returning from a long Lunar New Year break.
Oil prices added 16 cents to $53.70 U.S. a barrel
Gold prices fell seven dollars to $1,212.40 U.S. an ounce.
