Stock futures pointed to a higher opening for Canada's main stock index on Friday.
The S&P/TSX composite index fell 284.11 points, or 1.9%, to close Thursday at 14,588.38, with Friday futures up 0.2%.
The Canadian dollar dipped 0.13 cents to 87.72 cents U.S. early Friday.
Shares of Toronto-Dominion Bank and Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce slid on Thursday after the companies posted soft results in what is shaping up to be a disappointing fourth-quarter earnings season for Canadian lenders.
Shares of Enbridge surged more than 12% to a record high on Thursday, a day after the company outlined plans to transfer ownership of its Canadian pipelines to an affiliate and boost its dividend by 33%.
Macquarie raised the rating on Air Canada to outperform from neutral and price target to $15 from $9.50.
CIBC cut the price target on Canadian Natural Resources to $50 from $52.
On the economic front, Statistics Canada reported this morning that employment was little changed in November, after months of notable gains, the unemployment rate increased 0.1 percentage points to 6.6%.
Moreover, the agency reported that our merchandise imports increased 0.5% to $44.8 billion in October. Exports edged up 0.1% to $44.9 billion. As a result, Canada's trade surplus with the world narrowed from $307 million in September to $99 million in October.
ON BAYSTREET
The TSX Venture Exchange gave back 14.25 points Thursday to 707.38
ON WALLSTREET
Friday's U.S. jobs report is the last big event of the year, and it helped markets heading into the weekend.
Ahead of the opening bell, futures for the Dow Jones Industrials gained 40 points, or 0.2%, to 17,930. Futures for the S&P 500 nicked up 3.25 points, or 0.2%, to 2,075.65, and futures for the NASDAQ increased 9.25 points, or 0.2%, to 4,322.75.
Shares in Gap gained 3.4% in after-hours trade, boosted by a 6% increase in net sales in November. Its Old Navy brand performed well, the company said.
Big Lots will report quarterly earnings before the opening bell.
Total non-farm payroll employment increased by 321,000 in November, and the unemployment rate was unchanged at 5.8%, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today.
The consensus forecast from economists was for a gain of 228,000 jobs.
The U.S. economy is on track to record its best year for job growth since 1999, but wages are still struggling once inflation is taken into account.
European markets recovered from the disappointment of Thursday's inaction by the European Central Bank, helped by news of surprisingly strong German industrial orders in October and in anticipation of healthy U.S. jobs data.
Germany's DAX was up 1.3% in morning trade, and other major regional indexes posted similar gains. Asian markets had a mixed session.
Oil prices declined 31 cents to $66.50 U.S. a barrel
Gold prices fell back $6.80 to $1,200.90 U.S. an ounce.
