Futures tracking Canada's blue-chip stocks edged lower on Thursday as gold prices slipped, while investors assessed worsening Middle East tensions and avoided riskier bets.
The TSX gained 95.66 points Wednesday at 35,416.20.
Futures gave back 0.2% early Thursday.
The Canadian dollar eked ahead 0.03 cents to 71.27 cents U.S.
In company news, Cogeco Communications missed third-quarter revenue estimates late on Wednesday, on a lower U.S. subscriber base.
On the trade front, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer noted progress in formal trade talks with Mexico, while ?discussions with Canada had yet to produce concessions sought by President ?Donald Trump as he pushes to reduce U.S. trade deficits with the two countries.
Earlier this month, ?the Trump administration said it will not ?renew the USMCA trade agreement, but that the pact would remain in effect until the issues were resolved or the agreement terminated.
On the economic slate, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation reported housing starts were down 6% from the previous month to a seasonally adjust annual rate of 239,000 units in June, compared to a downwardly revised 253,000 units in May and falling short of markets expectations of 258,000 units.
ON BAYSTREET
The TSX Venture Exchange dumped 13.8 points, or 1.6%, Wednesday to 877.90.
ON WALLSTREET
U.S. equity futures were mostly lower on Thursday, giving back some of the gains seen in the previous session, as semiconductor stocks struggled.
Futures for the Dow Jones Industrials poked ahead one point to 52,901, thanks to a more than 6% advance in UnitedHealth, which easily topped earnings expectations.
Futures for the S&P 500 slid 26.25 points, or 0.3%, to 7,588.50.
Futures for the NASDAQ Composite floundered 289 points, or 1%, to 29,404.25.
Taiwan Semiconductor declined by 4.6%, even after the company beat expectations in its latest quarter.
On Thursday, investors will be looking to retail sales data and jobless claims at 8:30 a.m. ET for further signs of whether the economy is slowing enough to keep inflation under control without tipping into a meaningful downturn.
Corporate earnings also remain a key driver. UnitedHealth will report its results before the bell and Netflix is scheduled to report its after the bell.
In Japan, the Nikkei 225 tumbled 2.8% Thursday, while in Hong Kong, the Hang Seng gained 1.3%.
Oil prices gathered 30 cents to $79.90 U.S. a barrel.
Gold prices dulled $9.70 to $4,042.10 U.S an ounce.
