Canada's main stock index looked set to open higher after the European Central Bank and the Bank of England left interest rates unchanged, and the Bank of Japan introduced aggressive monetary easing measures.
The S&P/TSX index plummeted 259.38 points, or 2.1%, to finish Wednesday at 12,422.12
The Canadian dollar sank 0.16 cents to 98.42 cents U.S. early Thursday.
Dominion Diamond Corp, formerly Harry Winston Diamond Corp, on Wednesday reported an increase in fourth-quarter sales on rising demand in the United States, China and India.
Lululemon Athletica Inc. said its chief product officer will leave the company, after a popular product proved too risqué for its fashion-conscious fans.
ON BAYSTREET
The TSX Venture Exchange shed 30.48 points to 1,038.62
ON WALLSTREET
A worse-than-expected report on U.S. unemployment claims Thursday offset the positive tone set by the Bank of Japan, which had announced an anti-deflation program that exceeded already sky-high expectations.
Futures for the Dow Industrials eked higher by 13 points, or 0.1%, to 14,500. Futures for the S&P 500 gained four points, or 0.3%, to 1,552.50, and futures for the NASDAQ also took on four points, or 0.1%, to 2,791.
In corporate news, shares of Carnival Corp. slumped 2%, a day after the troubled cruise liner's Triumph broke free of its dock in Mobile, Ala.
Investors will also be monitoring an Android-related press event hosted by Facebook and scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. ET. Industry watchers have speculated that the social network could reveal its own Android-based smartphone.
The U.S. Labor Department said that initial jobless claims rose to 385,000 last week. That was much more than the 345,000 claims that were forecast, according to Briefing.com.
The report comes one day ahead of the government's closely watched monthly jobs report. Economists expect 192,000 jobs to have been added in March, according to Briefing.com.
In other news, Japan's central bank announced plans to expand its stimulus program in an effort to breathe life into the country's flagging economy.
The move was welcomed by investors. Japan's Nikkei reversed early losses and closed 2.2% higher, the yen weakened against the dollar and the yield on Japanese 10-year notes fell to their lowest level since 2003.
Separately, the European Central Bank kept rates at historic lows of 0.75% and the Bank of England left rates at 0.5% and maintained its asset purchasing program.
European markets were mixed in morning trading. Exchanges in Hong Kong and Shanghai were closed for a holiday.
Oil prices registered at $94.18 U.S. a barrel
Gold prices came in at $1,547.90 U.S.
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