Aug 22 (Reuters) - Futures for Canada's main stock index were flat on Friday, as investors took a breather ahead of a highly anticipated speech by U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell at the Jackson Hole symposium.
The futures on the S&P/TSX index (.SXFcv1), rose 0.09% by 05:49 a.m. ET (0949 GMT) after a record close in the previous session for the S&P/TSX composite index (.GSPTSE), which ended above 28,000 for the first time.
After some Fed officials seemed lukewarm to the idea of an interest rate cut next month, investors are eager to hear Powell's remarks later in the day at 10 a.m. ET.
Policymakers remain uncertain about the prospects for imminent easing as they balance the risk of a weakening labor market against concerns about higher inflation.
According to CME Group's FedWatch tool, the odds for a September rate cut have slipped to 71.3% from 85.4% a week ago.
Gold prices edged lower on a stronger dollar, ahead of Powell's address, while copper also traded with caution.
Oil prices remained largely steady, as hopes for an imminent peace deal between Russia and Ukraine dimmed, and are on track for their first weekly gain in three.
Toronto's benchmark index was on track for a third consecutive weekly advance, supported by gains in resource-linked stocks, while its limited exposure to tech shielded it from the selloff that has put Wall Street on course for weekly losses.
At 8:30 a.m. ET, domestic investors will parse June retail sales to gauge the impact of tariffs on consumer buying behavior.
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($1 = 1.3908 Canadian dollars)
Reporting by Nikhil Sharma; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri
