March 30 (Reuters) - Canada's benchmark stock index was
set to open higher for its fifth consecutive session on
Thursday, as prices of bullion and crude oil futures ticked
higher.
March futures on the S&P/TSX index were up 0.7% at
07:06 a.m. ET.
Crude oil prices rose as a drop in U.S. crude stockpiles and
a halt in exports from Iraq's Kurdistan region offset a
smaller-than-expected cut to Russian supplies. Also in gains were contracts tied to gold as a weaker dollar
made bullion more attractive to holders of other currencies. Among stocks, Atco Ltd agreed to transfer
ownership of an unfinished pipeline bogged down in a dispute
with the Mexican state power company, two officials told
Reuters.
Brokerage CIBC has started coverage of miner Filo Mining
Corp with an "outperform" rating and a target price of
C$38.
TD Securities has started covering Pet Valu Holdings with a "buy" rating and a price target of $45.
On Wednesday, the Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite
index ended 0.9% higher at its highest closing level
in nearly three weeks, helped by gains in energy and technology
shares. Dow e-minis were up 214 points, or 0.65%, at 12:06
a.m. ET, while S&P 500 e-minis were up 25.25 points, or
0.62%, and Nasdaq 100 e-minis were up 72.75 points, or
0.56%. COMMODITIES AT 7:00 a.m. ET
Gold futures : $1,978.5; +0.1% US crude : $73.74; +1.06% Brent crude : $78.91; +0.8% U.S. ECONOMIC DATA DUE ON THURSDAY
Initial weekly jobless claims due at 8:30 a.m. ET
Q4 GDP final due at 8:30 a.m. ET
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TSX market report Canadian dollar and bonds report Reuters global stocks poll for Canada Canadian markets directory ($1 = 1.3553 Canadian dollars)
(Reporting by Johann M Cherian in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna
Chandra Eluri)
