Stock futures pointed to a higher opening for Canada's main index on Tuesday on optimism surrounding corporate earnings and merger moves.
The S&P/TSX composite index finished 2.66 points in the red to close Monday at 14,530.91, with futures up 0.06% Tuesday.
The Canadian dollar surged 0.51 cents to 91.20 cents U.S. early Tuesday.
Suncor Energy said on Monday its first-quarter profit rose 36% on strong oil prices and a lower Canadian dollar.
Canada imposed sanctions on Monday on two small Russian banks and nine individuals.
The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board plans to vote against Barrick Gold Corp's new executive compensation plan, the investment management group said in a proxy voting notice on its website Monday.
CIBC raised the rating on Aurico Gold to outperform from sector performer
Canaccord Genuity cut the rating on Gluskin Sheff + Associates to hold from buy
ON BAYSTREET
The TSX Venture Exchange lost 4.01 points Monday to 1,009.58
ON WALLSTREET
Futures also pointed to momentum building for stocks Tuesday in New York, with investors hoping for a good end to a rough month.
The NASDAQ in particular has taken a sharp dive and the other major markets languishing in negative territory.
Ahead of the opening bell, futures for the Dow Jones Industrials gained 47 points, or 0.3%, to 16,444. Futures for the S&P 500 improved 6.2 points, or 0.3%, at 1,872.20, and futures for the NASDAQ picked up 14.5 points, or 0.4%, to 3,555.25.
Earnings continue to dominate Tuesday's agenda. Sprint reported a narrower-than-expected loss and strong sales. eBay and Twitter are among the major companies reporting after the close.
Share of BP nudged higher after the oil and gas firm hiked its dividend.
Retailer Coach was taking a hit after the company missed sales forecast, even as it beat on earnings.
Aside from earnings, shares of Nokia surged 8% pre-market after the company announced a new CEO and plans to spend billions on dividends and share buybacks. Nokia has just finalized the sale of its handset division to Microsoft, allowing it to focus on its networks business.
In economic news, the S&P/Case-Shiller home price index will be published at 9 a.m. ET. The Conference Board will publish its consumer confidence index at 10 a.m. ET.
European markets were higher in morning trading. Russian stocks rose and the ruble firmed against the dollar as investors shrugged off the latest round of U.S. and EU sanctions imposed this week over the crisis in Ukraine.
Asian markets closed mixed. The two major indexes in China logged gains, while markets in Japan were closed for a holiday.
Oil prices gained 54 cents to $101.38 U.S. a barrel
Gold prices dropped $9.40 to $1,289.60 U.S. an ounce.
