Uncertainty surrounding possible U.S. military action against Bashar al-Assad's Syrian government helped push Canadian stock index futures lower on Tuesday.
The S&P/TSX composite index fell two points to end the session at 12,760.30, after spending much of the day in positive country. Futures were down 0.3% early Tuesday.
The Canadian dollar erased 0.23 cents to 94.99 cents U.S. early Tuesday
Bank of Montreal's third-quarter profit rose 17% as the Canadian bank benefited from higher insurance income and lower provisions for bad loans.
Bank of Nova Scotia's third-quarter profit fell 14% after a big gain from a sale in the year-before period.
Niger plans to bid for gold miner Semafo's 80% stake in the Samira Hill mine and to try to take full control of the project, the West African nation's mining assets management company Sopamin said on Monday after Semafo suspended operations at the mine.
ON BAYSTREET
The TSX Venture Exchange gained 8.02 points Monday to 954.58, after an 11-point hike Friday.
ON WALLSTREET
World stock markets fell Tuesday as investors worried about a possible U.S. military strike against Syria over its suspected use of chemical weapons.
Ahead of the opening bell, futures for the Dow Jones Industrials plummeted 84 points, or 0.6%, to 14,847. Futures for the S&P 500 dropped 12 points, or 0.7%, to 1,642.20, and futures for the NASDAQ fell 24 points, or 0.8%, at 3,097.
Shares of jewelry retailer Tiffany & Co rose in pre-market trading after the company reported better-than-expected quarterly results.
Shares in struggling department store operator J.C. Penney fell on news that activist shareholder Bill Ackman is selling his entire stake of more than 39 million shares.
Investors have grown increasingly concerned that the U.S. and its allies are preparing for military action against Syria ever since Secretary of State John Kerry's speech Monday that evidence "strongly indicates" chemical weapons were used in Syria.
A spokesman for U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron told reporters Tuesday that the British military was making "contingency plans" for a strike on Syria.
European indexes and most major Asian markets fell, while U.S. stock futures were more than 0.5% weaker ahead of the open. German government bonds and gold were firmer as investors sought less risky assets, and concern about the regional implications sent oil prices higher in Europe.
Asian markets ended with mixed results Tuesday. Both Japan's Nikkei 225 and Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell by as much as 0.7%, but the Shanghai Composite edged up by 0.2%.
Oil prices leaped $2.27 cents to $108.19 U.S. a barrel
Gold prices jumped $22.30 to $1,415.40 U.S. an ounce.
