Stock futures pointed to a higher opening for Canada's main stock index on Monday as global investor sentiment improved on the prospect of a major merger in the fast-food business.
The S&P/TSX composite index was down 20.54 points to close the day and the week at 15,535.55. Monday futures hiked 0.3%.
The Canadian dollar picked up 0.12 cents to 91.32 cents U.S. early Monday.
Burger King is in talks to acquire the coffee and doughnut chain Tim Hortons in a deal that would create a fast food powerhouse with a market capitalization of roughly $18 billion U.S.
A small number of water samples taken near the site of a major spill at Imperial Metals' Mount Polley mine have shown copper levels high enough to pose a risk to fish, British Columbia officials said on Friday, but the copper did not exceed drinking water guidelines.
Talisman Energy said Friday it still plans to sell its oil properties in Iraq's Kurdistan region, even after its partner announced a massive oil discovery.
CIBC raised the target price on Royal Bank of Canada to $86 from $85
ON BAYSTREET
The TSX Venture Exchange gained 3.38 points Friday to 1,005.58
ON WALLSTREET
After a few initial bumps, August has turned into a great month for investors. Early indications are good. U.S. stock futures were all higher Monday and European markets advanced.
Ahead of the opening bell, futures for the Dow Jones Industrials galloped 50 points, or 0.3%, to 17,043. Futures for the S&P 500 added 6.5 points, or 0.3%, to 1,994.25, and futures for the NASDAQ moved up 15.5 points, or 0.4%, to 4,070.25.
Burger King announced it's in talks to buy the Canadian coffee chain Tim Hortons in a deal that could see the burger chain move its headquarters to Canada and lower its tax bill.
Shares in Roche were up by about 0.5% after the Swiss pharmaceutical giant announced it's paying $8.3 billion U.S. to buy NASDAQ-traded InterMune. The offer represents a 38% premium compared to where InterMune shares closed on Friday.
At 10 a.m. ET the U.S. Census Bureau will release data on new home sales.
French Prime Minister Manuel Valls has presented President Francois Hollande with his government's resignation, and a new government will be announced on Tuesday. Shares in the benchmark CAC 40 in Paris were higher by about 1% in early trading.
Elsewhere in Europe, new data on business sentiment in Germany shows confidence continues to deteriorate as the economy loses steam. Many German firms have suffered as tensions escalate with Russia, a major trading partner.
Oil prices added seven cents to $93.72 U.S. a barrel
Gold prices deducted 80 cents to $1,279.40 U.S. an ounce.
