Stock futures pointed to a higher opening for Canada's main stock index on Friday
The S&P/TSX composite index climbed 62.43 points to close Thursday at 15,534.32, with Friday futures up 0.1%.
The Canadian dollar dipped 0.22 cents to 90.41 cents U.S. early Friday.
Burger King Worldwide Inc is lining up a $7.25-billion loan package to finance its $11.5-billion acquisition of Canadian quick service restaurant chain Tim Hortons.
Canadian small businesses will get $550 million in rebates on their employment insurance premiums over the next two years in order to boost hiring, Finance Minister Joe Oliver said on Thursday.
CIBC raised the target price on Dollarama to $107 from $100. CIBC raised the target price on Empire Co to $84 from $82
The bank then cut the target price on Transat Inc. to $9.25
ON BAYSTREET
The TSX Venture Exchange fell 1.72 points Thursday to 982.28.
ON WALLSTREET
Markets seem unfazed by the latest round of sanctions against Russia.
Ahead of the opening bell, futures for the Dow Jones Industrials were flat at 16,960. Futures for the S&P 500 were also unchanged at 1,989, and futures for the NASDAQ slid 1.25 points to 4,082.25
Darden Restaurants, which owns brands including the Olive Garden and LongHorn Steakhouse, will report quarterly earnings before the opening bell.
Economically speaking, the U.S. Census Bureau reported August retail sales this morning.
The University of Michigan will post its monthly consumer sentiment index at 9:55 a.m. ET.
The European Union has announced tougher sanctions against Russia, preventing key energy and defense companies from raising finance in Europe. It has also added 24 names to its list of individuals facing travel restrictions and asset freezes.
The U.S. government said it would follow suit with another round of sanctions Friday as Western nations attempt to pressure Russia to forge a peaceful resolution to the separatist crisis in Ukraine.
Russia is reportedly considering retaliating by capping imports of Western cars and clothing.
Oil prices eked up a penny to $92.84 U.S. a barrel
Gold prices slid 50 cents to $1,238.50 U.S. an ounce.
