Marginally lower stock futures pointed to a flat opening for Canada's main stock index on Wednesday
The S&P/TSX composite index was up 20.47 points to finish Tuesday at 15,619.21
The Canadian dollar gained 0.43 cents to 91.74 cents U.S. early Wednesday.
Spanish energy company Repsol SA's talks to buy Canadian producer Talisman Energy are in difficulty, three sources familiar with the matter said, with Talisman's North Sea assets the stumbling block.
Allergan Inc said that it has scheduled a special shareholders meeting for Dec. 18, when activist investor Bill Ackman, who supports a hostile bid for the company by Valeant Pharmaceuticals, will attempt to oust most of its board.
Barrick Gold is eliminating its entire corporate development team and more cuts are in the works as the world's top gold miner looks to trim costs, three sources familiar with the situation said on Tuesday.
Miner Taseko Mines is suing the Harper government for damages, escalating its court actions after Ottawa's rejection earlier this year of the company's proposal to build a copper and gold mine in British Columbia.
CIBC initiates coverage on Acadian Timber Corp. with a sector perform rating and price target of $15
ON BAYSTREET
The TSX Venture Exchange gained 7.12 points Tuesday to 1,015.36
ON WALLSTREET
U.S. stock futures were stable Wednesday morning, a day after the S&P 500 closed above 2,000 for the first time ever.
Ahead of the opening bell, futures for the Dow Jones Industrials took on 11 points, or 0.1%, to 17,108. Futures for the S&P 500 inched up 0.5 points to 1,999, and futures for the NASDAQ gained 1.25 points to 4,073.50.
Brown-Forman and Tiffany & Co. will report earnings before the opening bell, while retailers Guess and Williams-Sonoma will report after the close.
Shares in gun maker Smith & Wesson plunged by as much as 15% in extended trading after the company said quarterly sales were dragged down by a shrinking demand for rifles.
The new Israel-Hamas ceasefire could give investors confidence Wednesday. Israel's benchmark index was higher in early trading.
Meanwhile, talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko over Ukraine have concluded.
The Russian Micex index was up by about 0.7% in early trading. Russia's equity and currency markets have taken a hit this year after Western nations levied sanctions.
European markets were looking anemic in early trading as investors reacted to weaker-than-expected economic data.
Asian markets all closed higher, except for the Hang Seng in Hong Kong, which dipped by 0.6%.
Oil prices gained 33 cents to $94.19 U.S. a barrel
Gold prices eked up $1.50 to $1,286.70 U.S. an ounce.
