TSX eyes upbeat start to March as oil, gold prices climb

Kitco Media
By Reuters
Published:
Updated:
Reuters
TSX eyes upbeat start to March as oil, gold prices climb teaser image

March 1 (Reuters) - Futures for Canada's main stock index gained on Friday tracking a rise in crude oil and gold prices, while gains were capped as investors took a breather after Thursday's rally on upbeat domestic quarterly results.

March futures on the S&P/TSX index were up 0.4% at 7:05 a.m. ET (12:05 GMT), while their Wall Street peers were subdued.

Energy shares (.SPTTEN), opens new tab were poised to extend gains to a fifth session on a 1% rise in oil prices as markets awaited an OPEC+ decision on supply agreements for the second quarter.

Gold prices hit a one-month high after data suggested easing U.S. price pressures, while copper prices slid.

The Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index (.GSPTSE), opens new tab ended up 0.6% on Thursday and 1.6% higher for the month, its fourth straight monthly gain, marking its longest monthly winning streak since 2021.

Favorable inflation data from the U.S. and domestic gross domestic product (GDP) data on Thursday revived some hopes of an interest cut by the Federal Reserve and the Bank of Canada in the early half of the year.

Earnings from Canadian Natural Resources (CNQ.TO), opens new tab, TD Bank Group (TD.TO), opens new tab and Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CM.TO), opens new tab, which beat quarterly profit estimates also added to the rally on the TSX in the previous session.

Looking forward, a monthly reading of manufacturing activity is due in the United States and in Canada after the opening bell on Friday.
Meanwhile, Canadian Western Bank (CWB.TO), opens new tab reported its first-quarter profit above analysts' estimates.

COMMODITIES AT 7:05 a.m. ET
Gold futures : $2,063.5; +0.4%
US crude : $79.51; +1.6%
Brent crude : $83.16; +1.5%

Reporting by Purvi Agarwal in Bengaluru; Editing by Vijay Kishore

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and may not reflect those of Kitco Metals Inc. The author has made every effort to ensure accuracy of information provided; however, neither Kitco Metals Inc. nor the author can guarantee such accuracy. This article is strictly for informational purposes only. It is not a solicitation to make any exchange in commodities, securities or other financial instruments. Kitco Metals Inc. and the author of this article do not accept culpability for losses and/ or damages arising from the use of this publication.