June 18 (Reuters) - Futures tracking Canada's blue-chip stocks edged up on Thursday, buoyed by higher gold prices and optimism about the Middle East peace deal, while markets priced in a rate hike later this year following the U.S. Federal Reserve's hawkish projections.
September futures on the S&P/TSX index were up 0.2% at 6:43 a.m. ET (1043 GMT).
Spot gold and silver rose 0.1% and 0.2%, respectively, as lower oil prices following the U.S.-Iran ceasefire deal helped temper inflation fears and counter the Fed's hawkish stance.
The Fed held interest rates steady on Wednesday, but policymakers expect a hike in borrowing costs later this year amid growing concerns about inflation being above the central bank's target.
The Fed's stance rattled investors, with TSX pulling back from its all-time high on Wednesday, further weighed down by declines in resources and industrial stocks.
Meanwhile, oil prices extended losses on Thursday, with Brent crude trading near $77 a barrel, after Washington and Tehran signed an interim agreement to end the war, reopen the Strait of Hormuz and waive U.S. sanctions on Iranian oil.
Separately, Canada, Norway, and Sweden will announce a new Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) package to supply Ukraine with U.S. weapons, Sweden's Defence Minister Pal Jonson said in Brussels on Thursday.
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Reporting by Tharuniyaa Lakshmi in Bengaluru
