CANADA STOCKS-TSX futures drop as commodity prices decline

Kitco Media
By Reuters
Published:
Updated:
Reuters
Feb 15 (Reuters) - Futures for Canada's resource-heavy main stock index fell on Wednesday as commodity prices declined, while investors worried about the probability of further monetary tightening by central banks. March futures on the S&P/TSX index were down 0.6% at 6:45 a.m. ET. Oil prices fell as an industry report from American Petroleum Institute (API) pointed to a jump in U.S crude inventory, while gold prices dropped as the dollar firmed. The Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index ended flat on Tuesday as mixed U.S. inflation data stoked worries that price pressures are not cooling as fast as central banks would wish. Investors will now focus on U.S. retail sales data due later in the day for further clues on the Federal Reserve's tightening path, which will also set the tone for expectations from other central banks. Meanwhile, data due at 8:15 a.m. ET is expected to show Canada's housing starts fell in January, compared to December. In earnings, Barrick Gold Corp beat analysts' estimates for quarterly profit and also announced a new share repurchase of up to $1 billion. Energy company Suncor Energy Inc reported a better-than-expected fourth-quarter profit on Tuesday, helped by higher crude prices. First Quantum also topped profit estimates, while a senior minister said talks between Panama's government and the metal miner have yielded "advances" in a dispute related to the firm's copper mine. In other news, eye-care company Bausch + Lomb Corp named Brent Saunders, the former chief executive of Allergan, as its CEO and chairman.


Asset manager Brookfield is seeking to buy the 50% stake in Spain's renewable power company X-elio it does not already own, Spanish newspaper Expansion reported. (Reporting by Shristi Achar A in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel)

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