Stock futures for Canada's main stock index were slightly higher on Thursday, supported by a rise oil prices even as investors took stock of rising global trade tensions.
The S&P/TSX Composite Index recovered 6.47 points to finish Wednesday at 15,653.61
The Canadian dollar dipped 0.09 cents to 77.11 cents U.S. early Thursday
March futures eked up 0.1% Thursday.
Magna International said on Wednesday it will invest $200 million in Lyft and work with the U.S. ride-hailing firm to manufacture self-driving cars.
TD Securities cuts the target price on Stella-Jones to $53.00 from $54.00
Raymond James raised the target price on Rocky Mountain Dealerships to $15.00 from $14.50
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Wednesday that he was "very optimistic" of a successful result for his country, the United States and Mexico as they renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement.
Economically speaking, the Canadian Real Estate Association was set Thursday morning to announce MLS sales in Canada for February
ON BAYSTREET
The TSX Venture Exchange slipped 1.77 points Wednesday to 827.28
ON WALLSTREET
U.S. stock index futures posted slight gains ahead of Thursday's open, as investors tried to shake off concerns surrounding global trade.
Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average tacked on 35 points, or 0.1%, to 25,823
S&P 500 futures gained 0.5 points to 2,754.50 while futures on the NASDAQ Composite lost 4.5 points, or 0.1%, to 7,053.50
Jabil Inc. is among a handful of companies declaring earnings Thursday.
Last week, President Donald Trump signed two declarations which would implement tariffs on steel and aluminum imports — both of which are expected to take effect in the coming weeks.
While Canada and Mexico are exempt from the deal, fears over a potential trade war remain, as investors worry that countries around the world may strike back. A report has also emerged stating that Trump could slap $60 billion of tariffs on Chinese goods.
Switching focus to Thursday's session, a slew of data are expected to be released. At 8:30 a.m. ET, jobless claims, and import prices are due, along with the Empire State manufacturing survey and the Philadelphia Fed manufacturing survey.
At 10 a.m. ET the NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index is slated to come out, followed by Treasury International Capital (TIC) data at 4 p.m. ET.
Meantime, Larry Kudlow is expected to take the job of top economic advisor, replacing Gary Cohn. On Wednesday, Kudlow and the White House confirmed the economist and senior CNBC contributor accepted the post of National Economic Council director.
In Japan, the Nikkei 225 gained 0.1%, while in Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index progressed 0.3%.
Oil prices gained 32 cents to $61.28 U.S. per barrel.
Gold prices faded $2.70 to $1,322.90 U.S. an ounce.
Trade Concerns Make for Mixed Futures
