Futures pointed to a lower opening for Canada's main stock index on Thursday after global markets slipped due to a jump in the euro and a spike in bond yields.
The S&P/TSX composite index added 49.94 points to conclude Wednesday’s business at 15,154.68. June futures plummeted Thursday by 0.7%.
The Canadian dollar pushed ahead 0.03 cents to 80.34 cents U.S. early Thursday.
The world's top 40 mining firms cut costs by a combined 5% and capital spending by 20% last year as they grappled with a plunge in prices that drove their market value to a 10-year low, auditing firm PricewaterhouseCoopers' annual survey showed.
Striking union workers at a joint BP Plc and Husky Energy refinery in Toledo, Ohio ratified a new contract on Wednesday and are due to return to work on Monday, four months after walking off their jobs, a refinery official said.
SNC-Lavalin Group Inc said on Wednesday it is not for sale after a newspaper report citing unnamed sources said it had been "informally" approached by two possible buyers.
CIBC raised the price target on Air Canada to $18.50 from $17.50, with an outperform rating
CIBC started coverage on Brookfield Renewable Energy Partners with outperform rating
Barclays raised the target price on Laurentian Bank of Canada to $49.00 from $48.00, with an underweight rating.
Economically speaking, Western University is out this morning (10 a.m. ET), with its Ivey Purchasing Managers Index.
ON BAYSTREET
The TSX Venture Exchange gained 2.18 points Wednesday to 691.27
ON WALLSTREET
U.S. stock futures are declining
Ahead of the opening bell, futures for the Dow Jones Industrials faded 85 points, or 0.5%, to 18,011, futures for the S&P 500 dipped 10.5 points, or 0.5%, to 2,105.50, and futures for the NASDAQ fell 33.25 points, or 0.7%, to 4,494.25.
Shares in T-Mobile look set for a 6% surge Thursday and Dish Network could also be on the move, based on reports that the companies are considering a merger.
J M Smucker, Lands' End and Michaels are reporting ahead of the open.
All major European markets are falling in early trading, with the main French index dropping by nearly 2%. Traders are growing increasingly nervous that Greece will be unable meet debt repayments due this month. Greece and its creditors failed to reach an agreement in late night talks Wednesday.
Many Asian markets also ended in the red. The key Australian index dropped by 1.4% after the release of some disappointing economic data.
Oil prices tacked on 17 cents to $59.81 U.S. a barrel
Gold prices fell $2.50 at $1,182.40 U.S. an ounce.
