Stocks in Toronto looked to begin the week with tentative gains, as more eyes are focused on BlackBerry and a possible shakeup at the top of the smartphone maker.
The S&P/TSX composite index gave back 23.80 points to close the week at 13,337.46
The Canadian dollar gained 0.16 to 96.14 cents U.S. early Monday
BlackBerry was the focus of news this morning, amid word that CEO Thorsten Heins was planning to step down, and that its main investor is revising its investment plan.
Fairfax Financial, the investment firm that made a conditional $4.7-billion offer for BlackBerry in September, is scheduled to wrap up its due diligence period.
That deadline gave Fairfax about a month and a half to comb through the company's financial details and come up with a solid plan for BlackBerry's future.
In the meantime, BlackBerry has been scouring the technology and investment communities for any other interest.
Companies who have considered a bid run the gamut, with reports claiming Facebook, Microsoft and Chinese computer maker Lenovo have all taken a peek at BlackBerry's finances.
ON BAYSTREET
The TSX Venture Exchange fell 3.53 points Friday to 955.33
ON WALLSTREET
It looks like stock markets will kick off the week with a modest move higher as investors maintain their relatively upbeat outlook and quarterly earnings continue to roll in.
Ahead of the opening bell, futures for the Dow Jones Industrials increased 48 points, or 0.3%, at 15,590. Futures for the S&P 500 gained 5.9 points, or 0.3%, to 1,760.60, and futures for the NASDAQ jumped 15.5 points, or 0.5%, to 3,383.50
At the same time, investors will also continue to keep a pulse on corporate growth as the latest companies report their results.
Kellogg and Sysco will report quarterly results before the bell Monday, while Con Edison and Hertz are among the dozens of firms reporting after the market close.
In economic news, the U.S. government will release its reports on factory orders for both August and September at 10 a.m. ET.
Investors may be hitting pause ahead of this week's first look at U.S. gross domestic product for the third quarter. The GDP report, due out Thursday, will give the first glimpse into the impact the government shutdown had on the economy.
European markets were rising in morning trading. London's FTSE 100 index was up by 0.5%, led by HSBC after the global bank issued a snapshot of its latest quarterly performance.
Asian markets ended lower. The Tokyo Stock Exchange was closed for a holiday
Oil prices dipped 35 cents to $94.26 U.S. a barrel
Gold prices took on $4.10 to $1,317.30 U.S. an ounce.
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