Stock futures pointed to a higher opening for Canada's main stock index on Friday.
The S&P/TSX composite index leaped 112.71 points to close Thursday at 15,326.31
The Canadian dollar drooped 0.47 cents to 79.01 cents U.S. early Friday.
Finance Minister Joe Oliver said on Thursday private sector economists estimate that Canada's economy will grow at about 2% this year and will pick up after that
Influential proxy advisory firm Glass Lewis is recommending that shareholders vote against Barrick Gold Corp's executive compensation plan, while flagging "serious concerns" with the executive chairman's pay.
The president of the media unit of BCE Inc, Canada's biggest communications company, parted ways with the company on Thursday with immediate effect, two weeks after he apologized for interfering in news coverage.
Canaccord Genuity raised the target on Goldcorp to $32.50 from $31.50
CIBC reinstates coverage on Whitecap Resources with sector outperformer rating
On the economic front, Statistics Canada reported that the economy created 29,000 jobs in March, mostly part-time. The unemployment rate was unchanged at 6.8%.
Elsewhere, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation said new housing starts totaled 179,016 units in March compared to 180,236 in February.
ON BAYSTREET
The TSX Venture Exchange finished positive 2.12 points Thursday to 691.00
ON WALLSTREET
Futures are peeking above breakeven, within an hour of the opening bell, as earnings are entering the pipeline stateside.
Ahead of the opening bell, futures for the Dow Jones Industrials picked up 29 points, or 0.2%, to 17,916. Futures for the S&P 500 inched up three points, or 0.1%, to 2,088.75, and futures for the NASDAQ eked up 0.75 points to 4,400.
Apple futures edged down 0.5% on Friday as the long anticipated Apple Watch became available for pre-orders. Apple says the smart watch is likely to sell out.
Deutsche Bank could be facing a $1.5-billion U.S. fine for interest rate manipulation, according to reports. The German lender's stock was up 0.3% in Europe.
European markets are speeding towards 15-year highs, lifted by the news that Greece met its payment deadline to the International Monetary Fund, avoiding default for now.
Japan's Nikkei briefly shot above the 20,000-point barrier in early Tokyo trading, before closing down 0.2%. The index remains near 15-year highs.
Oil prices slid 19 cents to $50.60 U.S. a barrel
Gold prices gained $6.30 to $1,199.90 U.S. an ounce.
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