Futures for Canada's main stock index rose on Thursday, helped by firmer bullion prices as optimism over a potential COVID-19 vaccine were overshadowed by worries over the logistics of its eventual rollout.
The TSX jumped 158.77 points, or 1%, to close Wednesday at 16,774.14.
The Canadian dollar slipped 0.18 cents Thursday at 76.53 cents U.S.
December futures nicked 0.1% Thursday.
Manulife Financial on Wednesday said third-quarter core profit declined less than analysts had expected, helped by earnings growth in Asia and asset management, but it warned the COVID-19 pandemic posed risks.
CIBC raised the target price Boyd Group Services to $239.00 from $233.00
Canaccord Genuity cut the rating on Great Canadian Gaming to hold from buy.
Canaccord Genuity raised the target price on Acuityads Holdings to $7.50 from $6.00.
ON BAYSTREET
The TSX Venture Exchange edged up 0.09 points Wednesday to 728.75.
ON WALLSTREET
U.S. stock futures were mixed in early Thursday morning trading as markets continued to churn following big gains earlier in the week.
Futures for the Dow Jones Industrials retreated 246 points, or 0.8%, to 29,065.
Futures for the S&P 500 slumped 19.25 points, or 0.5%, at 3,548.75.
Futures for the NASDAQ Composite gained a narrow 11.25 points, or 0.1%, to 11,897.25.
The move in futures came after the market bucked its recent trend on Wednesday, with the tech-heavy NASDAQ leading while cyclicals and small caps lagged.
The Dow slipped 23 points after adding nearly 1,100 in the two previous sessions. The Dow is still up 3.8% for the week.
More positive news on the vaccine front could come soon, as Moderna announced on Wednesday evening that its phase-three trial had accrued enough cases of the coronavirus to submit the preliminary results to an independent safety monitoring board.
The positive news for vaccines comes amid a worrying rise in Covid-19 cases across the country. The United States has now confirmed more than 10 million cases of the virus and some areas, including New York City and San Francisco, have announced new economic restrictions in an attempt to slow the spread.
Investors will also be looking at new data on the economic recovery on Thursday morning. The U.S. Labor Department is slated to release jobless claims data for last week before the opening bell, and economists surveyed by Dow Jones expect 740,000 claims. New inflation data will also be released before the markets open in New York.
Overseas, in Japan, the Nikkei 225 index gained 0.7%, while in Hong Kong, the Hang Seng index faded 0.2%.
Oil prices dropped 33 cents to $41.12 U.S. a barrel.
Gold prices shot higher $7.40 to $1,869.00
