Futures for Canada's main index edged higher on Wednesday, as oil prices gained on a slower-than-expected U.S. production forecast and stalled Venezuelan exports.
The S&P/TSX Composite Index held onto 30.42 points worth of gains, to close Tuesday at 16,136.66
The Canadian dollar gained 0.3 cents to 74.89 cents U.S. early Wednesday
March futures advanced 0.2% Wednesday.
Aurora Cannabis Inc said it had picked billionaire investor Nelson Peltz as a strategic advisor.
RBC cut the price target on Dollarama to $46.00 from $49.00
CIBC raised the rating on Imperial Metals to neutral from underperform
Canaccord Genuity cut the price target on Surge Energy to $2.25 from $2.75
ON BAYSTREET
The TSX Venture Exchange nosed ahead 1.38 points Tuesday to 620.93
ON WALLSTREET
U.S. stock index futures rose slightly Wednesday as investors continued to monitor political and economic uncertainties across the globe.
Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average eked ahead 23 points, or 0.1%, at 25,612
Futures for the S&P 500 gained five points, or 0.2%, at 2,802.25
NASDAQ futures picked up 14.25 points, or 0.2%, to 7,248.50
Boeing posted another sharp decline on Tuesday amid worries over the safety of one of its most popular airplanes. Boeing shares fell more than 6% after several countries, including China, the European Union and Indonesia, grounded all flights involving the 737 Max model. Boeing shares fell more than 1% on Wednesday.
The plane has been involved in two deadly crashes in less than six months, including one on Sunday. Edward Jones also downgraded the stock to hold from buy, citing a possible "delay in orders" after the Ethiopian Airlines crash.
Express Inc. and Kingstone Companies are among the firms reporting earnings today.
A slew of data are expected on Wednesday. Durable goods orders and producer price index numbers are due at 8:30 a.m. ET, followed by construction spending data at 10 a.m. ET.
Meanwhile, investor attention is firmly focused on the fallout from the U.K.'s decision to reject its Brexit deal with the European Union on Tuesday evening. The agreement was rejected by 149 votes after 242 MPs voted for the deal and 391 MPs voted against it.
British MPs will now vote on Wednesday on whether to leave the E.U. without a deal. If they reject that option, as expected, MPs will then get to vote on Thursday on whether to request a delayed departure from the E.U.
Overseas, in Japan, the Nikkei 225 slid 1% Wednesday, while in Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index decreased 0.4%
Oil prices took on 54 cents to $57.41 U.S. a barrel.
Gold prices added $9.60 to $1,307.70 U.S. an ounce.
