Canada's main stock index futures pointed to a flat to slightly lower open on Friday with investors waiting to take cues from a slew of U.S. economic data including housing starts, building permits and industrial production.
The S&P/TSX composite index moved higher by 59 points to close Thursday at 13,831.58, with Friday futures down 0.03%.
The Canadian dollar dumped one-third of a cent to 91.15 cents U.S. early Friday
Bombardier Inc . said a group led by its rail technology unit has signed a $4.1-billion contract with the Australian state of Queensland.
Dollarama Inc. said December sales were hurt by severe winter weather and power outages.
Saputo Inc. said on Friday its shareholding in Australia's Warrnambool Cheese and Butter Factory Holdings Co has jumped to 46.17%, putting it close to majority control.
ON BAYSTREET
The TSX Venture Exchange dipped 1.27 points Thursday to 974.54.
ON WALLSTREET
Markets south of the border have been in two minds all week and that trend looks set to continue Friday.
Ahead of the opening bell, futures for the Dow Jones Industrials added 56 points, or 0.3%, to 16,380. Futures for the S&P 500 gained two points, or 0.1%, to 1,838.20, and futures for the NASDAQ grew 8.75 points, or 0.2%, to 3,604. Markets will be closed Monday for Martin Luther King Day.
Corporate earnings so far this quarter have been mixed, providing little impetus for stocks to add to last year's impressive gains.
Companies including Morgan Stanley are scheduled to release quarterly results before the opening bell. Shares rose for General Electric in pre-market trading, after the conglomerate reported a boost in quarterly earnings.
Shares in Royal Dutch Shell were down ahead of the opening bell after the oil company warned that its fourth-quarter earnings would be "significantly lower" than normal because of "weak industry conditions."
Intel shares sank in after-hours trading Thursday following quarterly earnings that missed expectations.
On the economic side, the U.S. Census Bureau is scheduled to release its monthly reports on housing starts and building permits.
The main European indexes were edging up in midday trading.
Asian markets mostly ended with losses. The Hang Seng in Hong Kong was the only index to buck the trend, rising by 0.6%
Oil prices moved higher by 78 cents to $94.74 U.S. a barrel
Gold prices advanced $1.20 to $1,241.40 U.S. an ounce.
