Stock futures pointed to a lower opening for Canada's main stock index on Wednesday as lackluster economic data and civil unrest in Hong Kong kept investors cautious.
The S&P/TSX composite index was down 16.41 points to close Tuesday at 14,960.51, with futures off 0.1%.
The Canadian dollar swooned 0.07 cents to 89.25 cents U.S. early Wednesday.
The TSX index fell about 4.3% in September, its biggest monthly drop since May 2012, as a stronger U.S. dollar weighed on commodity prices and shares of natural resource companies.
Renaissance Capital starts coverage of both Africa Oil Corp. and Oando Energy Resources Inc. with buy ratings.
Raymond James cut the rating on Black Diamond Group Ltd. to outperform from strong buy
The new head of Canada’s banking regulator said Tuesday a recent system-wide stress test confirmed Canadian banks could absorb the hit from a significant downturn in the country's booming housing market.
ON BAYSTREET
The TSX Venture Exchange dropped 3.47 points Tuesday to 909.29
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ON WALLSTREET
European markets and U.S. stock futures are slipping lower Wednesday. Weak economic data from Europe are keeping investors cautious in early dealing.
Ahead of the opening bell, futures for the Dow Jones Industrials dipped 17 points, or 0.1%, to 16,948. Futures for the S&P 500 fell 3.5 points, or 0.2%, to 1,962, and futures for the NASDAQ faded 8.75 points, or 0.2%, to 4,036.
U.S. stocks closed lower Tuesday, ending September in the red. The Dow lost 28 points while the S&P 500 and NASDAQ slid nearly 0.3%. It was the worst monthly performance for the S&P 500 since January, finishing down 1.5%.
The NASDAQ -- the main gauge of tech and biotech stocks -- lost 1.9% over the month.
Shares in biotech companies Tekmira and BioCryst Pharmaceuticals surged pre-market after the first case of Ebola was diagnosed in the U.S. Tekmira is part of an international consortium conducting clinical trials in West Africa.
EBay shares were giving up some of Tuesday's gains posted in the wake of its announcement that it will spin off PayPal into a separate company next year. The stock was down 1.7% pre-market.
Adidas was top gainer in Europe after it announced plans to buy back shares worth 1.5 billion euros.
At 10 a.m. ET, the U.S. Census Bureau will say how much was spent on construction in August. The Commerce Department will post the number of cars and trucks sold in September at 2 p.m.
Manufacturing in the euro-zone has stalled, and is now contracting in Germany, the region's biggest economy, according to the latest survey of purchasing managers. The euro continued its recent slide against the dollar.
Markets in Hong Kong, and mainland China, were closed for the National Day holiday, which saw huge crowds throng the street of Asia's financial hub. Thousands of Hong Kong residents are taking part in another day of pro-democracy protests. Most other Asian markets ended weaker.
Oil prices eked up 54 cents to $91.70 U.S. a barrel
Gold prices reversed $1.70 to $1,209.90 U.S. an ounce.
