Stock futures pointed to a higher opening for Canada's main stock index on Friday as investors digested inflation data
The S&P/TSX Composite Index stumbled 15.84 points to end Thursday at 15,508.17
The Canadian dollar gained 0.13 to 78.77 cents U.S. Friday morning.
March futures gained 0.2% Friday.
Royal Bank of Canada reported first-quarter earnings that were above market expectations helped by a strong performance in wealth management.
Enerplus Corp beat quarterly profit expectations on higher prices for oil and natural gas.
Canaccord Genuity raised the rating on Crombie REIT to buy from hold
Desjardins raised the target price on Terago Inc. to $5.75 from $5.25
CIBC raised the rating on Winpak Ltd. to outperform from neutral
On the economic beat, Statistics Canada announced that the consumer price index rose 1.7% on a year-over-year basis in January, following a 1.9% increase in December.
On a seasonally-adjusted monthly basis, the Consumer Price Index was up 0.5% in January, after increasing 0.1% in December.
Average weekly earnings of non-farm payroll employees rang in at $993 in December, little changed from the previous month, but up 2.3%, compared with December 2016.
ON BAYSTREET
The TSX Venture Exchange managed to forge ahead 1.12 points Thursday to 829.19
ON WALLSTREET
U.S. stock index futures pointed to sharp gains ahead of Friday's open, with investors awaiting more comments from Federal Reserve officials on the state of the economy.
Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average rocketed 119 points, or 0.5%, to 25,132.
S&P 500 futures hiked 11.25 points, or 0.4%, to 2,722.75, while futures on the NASDAQ Composite picked up 38.25, or 0.6% to 6,827.
Potbelly Corporation is among a list of companies reporting earnings Friday.
With little economic data scheduled to be published Friday, investors will be awaiting key remarks from leading members of the U.S. Federal Reserve.
A U.S. monetary policy forum will be taking place in New York, where four major Fed officials are due to speak on economic policy, in front of other policymakers, academics and market economists.
Cleveland Fed President Loretta Mester and Kansas City Fed President Esther George will be discussing the objectives of monetary policy on a panel, while New York Fed President William Dudley and Boston Fed President Eric Rosengren will be speaking about the balance sheet and Fed policy.
Overseas, in Japan, the Nikkei 225 acquired 0.7%, while in Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index leaped 1%
Oil prices dropped two cents to $62.75 U.S. per barrel.
Gold prices slipped 50 cents to $1,322.20 U.S. an ounce.
