Stock futures indicated a modestly lower start for Canada's main stock index on Thursday.
The S&P/TSX composite index settled into the red 5.13 points to finish at 15,057.31, with futures down 0.1%.
The Canadian dollar sagged 0.53 cents to 89.89 cents U.S. early Thursday.
Raymond James raised the rating on Fortuna Silver Mines to strong buy from outperform
National Bank Financial raised the rating on Northland Power to outperform from sector perform
SocGen raised the rating on Talisman Energy to buy from hold
Bank of Canada Governor Timothy Lane said Canadian monetary policy can diverge from that of its neighbor to the south, even as the U.S. Federal Reserve's exit from its extraordinary stimulus measures will likely raise market interest rates in Canada and weigh on the loonie.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper said on Wednesday he did not anticipate a housing crisis in Canada, where some analysts are fretting about high debt levels and a booming housing market.
ON BAYSTREET
The TSX Venture Exchange slid 1.09 points Wednesday to 924.09.
ON WALLSTREET
Futures were virtually unchanged before trading began on Thursday.
Ahead of the opening bell, futures for the Dow Jones Industrials were flat to 17,139. Futures for the S&P 500 dipped one point, or 0.1%, to 1,990, and futures for the NASDAQ ditched three points, or 0.1%, to 4,084.75.
Shares in Apple were showing signs of weakness premarket after the company withdrew its latest software update following widely reported technical problems. Social media is also buzzing over customer reports that the new iPhone 6 Plus is bendable.
Apple's popular products frequently face a backlash soon after their release, but then complaints from die-hard consumers tend to calm down.
Nike will report quarterly earnings after the closing bell.
The U.S. government will report weekly jobless claims this morning.
European stock markets were broadly firmer in early trading, tracking Wall Street's gains and helped by the dollar's strength.
But shares in retail chain H&M fell by 4% in Sweden after the company warned of weak September sales because of unusually warm weather.
Asian markets ended with mixed results. The Nikkei in Tokyo enjoyed a 1.3% gain.
Oil prices gained 26 cents to $93.06 U.S. a barrel
Gold prices dropped $8.20 to $1,211.30 U.S. an ounce.
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