Futures tied to Canada's main stock index were little changed on Friday as investors adopted a cautious stance ahead of domestic jobs data that could offer clues on the prospects for additional interest rate cuts by the Bank of Canada.
The TSX plunged 232.01 points to end Thursday at 30,269.98.
December futures were off 0.05% Friday.
In corporate news, JPMorgan upgraded mining company First Quantum Minerals' rating to 'overweight' from 'neutral'.
Statistics Canada reported Friday the economy created 60,000 jobs during September, keeping the unemployment rate at 7.1%.
Traders are leaning toward an interest rate cut at the BoC's next policy announcement on October 29, after the central bank cut rates last month for the first time since March to support the economy.
ON BAYSTREET
The TSX Venture Exchange tunneled 19.04 points, or 1.9%, Thursday to 994.27.
ON WALLSTREET
Stock futures were relatively unchanged on Friday, a day after both the S&P 500 and the NASDAQ closed lower, retreating slightly from all-time highs.
Futures for the Dow Jones Industrials gained 77 points, or 0.2%, to 46,670.
Futures for the much broader index added 9.75 points to 6,789.
Futures for the NASDAQ gained 42.25 points, or 0.2%, to 25,331.75.
The U.S. government shutdown dragged into its 10th day on Friday, a day after the Senate failed for a seventh time to pass dueling stop-gap funding proposals that would have put an end to the stoppage.
Republicans and Democrats have appeared to show no signs of making meaningful progress on negotiations.
With the stalemate continuing, investors are struggling to find catalysts due to a lack of economic data from the U.S. government.
Earnings reports on Thursday from companies like Delta Air Lines and PepsiCo were positive and offered some sense of consumer demand. However, they weren’t enough to sustain a rally in stocks on Thursday.
Still, both the S&P 500 and the NASDAQ could eke out small gains for the week of 0.3% and 1.1%, respectively. The 30-stock Dow, however, is pacing for a 0.9% drop.
However, earnings season is set to begin in earnest next week, with several banks such as Citigroup and JPMorgan slated to post their third-quarter results.
Data on U.S. consumer sentiment is scheduled to be released Friday morning at 10 a.m. ET.
In Japan, the Nikkei 225 lost 1% Friday, while in Hong Kong, the Hang Seng dipped 1.7%.
Oil prices faded 89 cents to $60.62 U.S. a barrel.
Gold prices hiked $37.50 to $4,010.100 U.S. per ounce.
