Futures for Canada's main stock index fell on Friday, in line with downbeat risk sentiment on Wall Street, as investors remained cautious ahead of U.S. inflation data that could offer clues on the Federal Reserve's rate-hike trajectory.
The TSX finished 5.14 points south of breakeven, to 20,188.19 Thursday.
March futures on the S&P/TSX index faltered 0.4% Friday morning.
The Canadian dollar weakened 0.26 cents to 73.57 cents U.S.
Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce reported a fall in its first-quarter profit, weighed down by higher provisions to settle a lawsuit tied to the 2008 global financial crisis.
Osisko Gold Royalties reported a profit beat in its fourth quarter, while the precious metal royalty company missed revenue estimate.
Enerplus missed profit estimate for the fourth quarter, but earnings increased year-on-year.
ON BAYSTREET
The TSX Venture Exchange poked up 1.25 points Thursday to 620.43.
ON WALLSTREET
U.S. stock futures fell Friday morning as traders looked to the release of key inflation data.
Futures for the Dow Jones Industrials stumbled 186 points, or 0.6%, early Friday to 32,996.
Futures for the S&P 500 handed back 25.5 points, or 0.6%, to 3,993.25.
Futures for the NASDAQ Composite dumped 105.25 points, or 0.9%, to 12,099.75.
Boeing shares slipped more than 2% after the company temporarily halted delivery of its 787 Dreamliners over a fuselage issue.
The core personal consumption expenditures price index, the Fed’s preferred measurement of inflation, is slated for release at 8:30 a.m. ET. Economists expect a 0.5% month over month gain, according to Dow Jones.
Investors are also awaiting the January data on personal income and consumer spending will have further insight into the U.S. consumer; both figures are due out Friday before the bell.
Personal income is expected to have risen 1.2% last month, according to Dow Jones consensus estimates. That’s up from an increase of 0.2% the prior month. Consumer spending is forecasted to rise 1.4% in January, up from a decline of 0.2% the prior month.
In Japan, the Nikkei 225 index returned after a holiday to gain 1.3%, while in Hong Kong, the Hang Seng sank 1.7%.
Oil prices grew 43 cents to $75.82 U.S. a barrel.
Gold prices slid $3.50 to $1,823.30 U.S. an ounce.
