Futures Point to Upward Opening
The TSX Composite moved higher 41.55 points, off its highs of the day, to conclude the session Thursday at 22,087.26.
March futures perked 0.3% Friday.
The Canadian dollar dipped 0.21 cents 73.71 cents U.S.
In domestic company news, activist hedge fund Starboard Value said on Thursday it had nominated three candidates to join the board of Canadian utility Algonquin Power & Utilities Corp.
Meanwhile, BMO Global Asset Management said on Friday it had partnered with U.S. private equity firm Carlyle Group to broaden access to private markets for Canadian investors.
On the economic slate, Statistics Canada says retail trade in January decreased 0.3% to $67.0 billion. Sales were down in three of nine subsectors and were led by decreases at motor vehicle and parts dealers, while new housing prices edged up 0.1% month over month in February.
ON BAYSTREET
The TSX Venture Exchange gained 3.29 points Thursday to 553.17.
ON WALLSTREET
Stock futures slipped on Friday, but the major averages heading for a winning week after two straight days of record-setting gains.
Futures for the Dow Jones Industrials eased 25 points, or 0.1%, to 40,181.
Futures for the S&P 500 fell 6.5 points, or 0.1%, to 5,296.
Futures for the NASDAQ Composite stumbled 48.5 points, or 0.3%, to 18,513.25.
FedEx shares rose 11.5% in the premarket after posting adjusted earnings that beat analyst estimates. Lululemon slid 13% after the athleisure retailer posted weak guidance on the back of slowing growth in North America, while Nike sank 6% on disappointing guidance and slowing China sales.
All three major averages are tracking for healthy gains this week, with the S&P 500 tracking for a 2.4% pop and the Nasdaq rising nearly 2.7%. The Dow is the outperformer of the three, up almost 2.8% through Thursday’s close and on pace for its best week since December.
In Japan, the Nikkei 225 took on 0.2%, while in Hong Kong, the Hang Seng index fell 2.2%,
Oil prices moved ahead 16 cents to $81.23 U.S. a barrel.
Gold prices slipped $12.00 to $2,172.700 U.S. an ounce.
Provided Content: Content provided by Baystreet. The Globe and Mail was not involved, and material was not reviewed prior to publication.
