Canada's main stock index looked set to open higher after economic data from the euro zone strengthened expectations for more action from major central banks.
The S&P/TSX Composite index faded 52.56 points to finish Monday at 11,838.33. Stock futures were up 0.3% this morning.
The Canadian dollar tacked on 0.16 cents Tuesday morning to 100.90 cents U.S.
Among stocks to watch this morning, Agrium Inc., North America's biggest retail supplier of farm products and services, moved to fend off pressure from activist investor Jana Partners LLC by saying the company will not spin off its retail operations.
Timmins Gold Corp said its quarterly profit rose 6% on higher production from its Mexico mine.
ATS Automation Tooling Systems Inc, which makes factory automation systems, reported a higher first-quarter profit driven by strong performance in its transportation segment.
ON BAYSTREET
The TSX Venture Exchange gathered 6.37 points to 1,197.37. The Nasdaq Canada index fell 5.41 points to 348.26.
ON WALLSTREET
U.S. stocks were poised to open higher Tuesday after several better-than-expected euro-zone economic reports.
Futures for the Dow Jones Industrials stepped forward 29 points, or 0.2%, to 13,166, about 15 minutes before the opening bell. Futures for the S&P 500 grew 4.4 points, or 0.3%, to 1,407, and for the Nasdaq, futures gained 11.25 points, or 0.04%, to 2,739.25
Home Depot reported second-quarter earnings of $1.01 U.S. per diluted share, beating the Thomson Reuters consensus of 97 cents U.S. a share.
The company reported net income of $1.5 billion, compared with $1.4 billion U.S. a year earlier. Sales came in at $20.6 billion U.S., a 1.7% increase from the prior year, but fell short of analyst expectations of $20.7 billion U.S. Shares were higher in pre-market trading.
Saks reported a net loss of $12.3 million U.S., or eight cents a share, which was better than forecasts. In the second quarter last year, the luxury retailer reported an $8.4-million U.S. loss, or five cents a share.
TJX posted net sales of $5.9 billion U.S. and earnings of 56 cents a share, a 9% increase from last year. Analysts expected the discount retailer to report earnings of 55 cents U.S. a share.
Groupon shares dove nearly 23% during pre-market trading after beating earnings estimates but missing on revenue.
France and Germany released second-quarter gross domestic product data that beat analysts' expectations, but preliminary data showed the euro-zone economy on the whole continued to shrink.
Euro-zone GDP shrank by 0.2% between April to June compared to the previous quarter and 0.4% year-over-year, according to flash estimates published by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union. In the first quarter of 2012, GDP was unchanged.
While the data came in higher than forecasts, economists say that the numbers still point to a gloomy picture, leaving concerns about the euro-zone crisis intact.
European stocks got a boost from GDP figures in afternoon trading. Britain's FTSE 100 rose 0.4%, the DAX in Germany ticked up 0.9% and France's CAC 40 added 0.4%.
Asian markets ended the day higher. The Shanghai Composite rose 0.3%, the Hang Seng in Hong Kong gained 1.1%, and Japan's Nikkei added 0.5%.
Oil for September delivery lost 23 cents to $92.95 U.S. a barrel.
Gold futures for December delivery rose $1.40 to $1,611 U.S. an ounce.
