Futures tied to Canada's main stock index were subdued on Wednesday as traders awaited clarity on trade policy ahead of new U.S. tariffs scheduled for next week.
The TSX Composite Index gained 35.4 points to conclude Tuesday at 25,339.51
Futures lulled 0.1% Wednesday.
The Canadian dollar nicked ahead 0.11 cents to 70.17 cents U.S.
In corporate news, Theratechnologies received FDA approval in the U.S. for a new treatment targeting abdominal fat in HIV patients.
Markets rallied on Monday after U.S. President Donald Trump indicated that not all trade levies would take effect on April 2, with some countries receiving exemptions, though specifics were lacking.
ON BAYSTREET
The TSX Venture Exchange hiked 5.97 points to close Monday at 643.76.
ON WALLSTREET
U.S. stock futures were little changed early Wednesday after the S&P 500 posted a marginal gain, marking its third positive session in a row.
Futures for the Dow Jones Industrials gained 14 points to 42,920.
Futures for the S&P 500 index hesitated 2.25 points to 5,824.25.
Futures for the tech-heavy NASDAQ dropped 20.5 points, or 0.1%, to 20,468.
GameStop jumped 13.4% in premarket trading after announcing that its board unanimously approved a plan to invest corporate cash into bitcoin, following in the footsteps of a move by MicroStrategy.
Stocks closed slightly higher on Tuesday despite the release of consumer confidence data on Tuesday showing that U.S. consumers’ near-term outlook on income, business and job prospects dropped to their lowest reading in 12 years. But this doesn’t necessarily mean that a recession is on the horizon, according to some experts.
Traders are watching out for February’s report on preliminary durable goods orders due Wednesday morning.
In Japan, the Nikkei 225 index gained 0.7%, while in Hong Kong, the Hang Seng recovered 0.6%.
Oil prices climbed 66 cents to $69.66 U.S. a barrel.
Gold prices progressed $5.80 to $3,031.70 U.S. an ounce.
