Stock futures pointed to a higher opening for markets in Toronto on Thursday as the last sweep of opinion polls showed Britons favoured to remain in the European Union.
The S&P/TSX Composite dropped 8.51 points to conclude business Wednesday at 14,003.81. September futures traveled 0.8% Thursday
The Canadian dollar leaped 0.58 cents to 78.44 cents early Thursday
Bombardier said on Thursday Quebec agreed to invest $1 billion in its C series aircraft program, which has struggled with years of delays and cost overruns.
TransCanada Corp on Wednesday reportedly cut its forecast for crude flows on its 590,000-barrel-per-day Keystone Pipeline from Hardisty, Alberta to Patoka, Illinois and Cushing, Oklahoma for the remainder of June
CIBC cut the price target on Canadian National Railway to $84.00 from $86.00
CIBC cut the price target on Canadian Pacific Railway to $198.00 from $205.00
On the economic slate, Statistics Canada reported that folks collecting employment insurance totaled 538,400 during April, down slightly from the previous month
ON BAYSTREET
The TSX Venture Exchange inched up 0.29 points Wednesday to 708.52
ON WALLSTREET
U.S. stock futures are climbing skyward, as much of the market is dizzy with anticipation over what is transpiring Thursday in Britain.
Ahead of the opening bell, futures for the Dow Jones Industrials triumphed 148 points, or 0.8%, to 17,836, while futures for the S&P 500 jumped 18.25 points, or 0.9%, to 2,081.50. NASDAQ futures took on 39 points, or 0.9%, to 4,433.50.
Wall Street may pay extra close attention to Alibaba Thursday after founder Jack Ma published an opinion article in the Wall Street Journal saying Alibaba has "zero tolerance for those who rip off other people's intellectual property." He said his company is committed to fighting counterfeits.
Alibaba has been accused of failing to crack down hard enough on fake goods sold over its hugely popular online shopping platforms.
The two key companies reporting earnings Thursday include BlackBerry and Accenture. Both will post their results ahead of the open.
On the economic front, the U.S. Department of Labor will post its weekly jobless claims data this morning.
The Census Bureau will post U.S. new home sales data for the month of May at 10 a.m. The last couple of new home reports have shown surprising strength, with sales figures outpacing expectations.
The U.K. is holding a historic referendum on the European Union, with voters deciding whether the country should leave or remain a member of the 28-country bloc. The result, expected hours after the polls close at 5 pm ET, could power strong global market reactions.
In the currency market, the pound is slipping against the U.S. dollar after hitting $1.48.
Asian markets ended the day with mixed results. The Nikkei in Japan was a standout performer with a 1.1% gain.
Oil prices gained 75 cents to $49.88 U.S. a barrel
Gold prices dipped $6.50 to $1,263.50 U.S. an ounce.
