Feb 3 (Reuters) - Futures for Canada's main stock index
were muted on Friday as commodity prices dipped, while investors
awaited U.S. jobs data to understand for clues on the Federal
Reserve's future interest rate moves.
Futures on the S&P/TSX index were flat at 6:44 a.m.
ET (1144 GMT) after the benchmark closed lower on Thursday,
weighed down by losses in commodity-linked stocks.
Investors would be looking for U.S. jobs data due at 8:30
a.m. ET, a key metric in gauging where the Fed stands on future
rate increases, having hiked its lending rate by an expected 25
basis points on Wednesday.
U.S. futures pointed to a lower opening on Wall Street, with
disappointing quarterly results from megacap growth companies
including Apple Inc , Amazon.com Inc and
Alphabet Inc dampening sentiment. Oil prices eased, with major oil benchmarks headed for their
second consecutive week of losses, as the market awaited further
signs of fuel demand recovery in China to offset looming slumps
in other major economies. Gold steadied in a tight range as cautious investors took
stock of a host of central bank statements and positioned
themselves for the key U.S. nonfarm payrolls report. Materials and energy companies have a combined weightage of
about 31% on the main index.
In earnings, methanol producer Methanex reported
better-than-expected quarterly results overnight.
Software company OpenText Corp also reported its
quarterly numbers, beating expectations on both revenue and
earnings.
On the research front, CIBC cut software company Lightspeed
Commerce's rating to "neutral" from "outperformer".
(Reporting by Shashwat Chauhan in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna
Chandra Eluri)
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