Equities
Global markets edged higher as a cooling of tensions between Russia and the West supported some investor confidence ahead of earnings from artificial intelligence chip maker Nvidia,
Wall Street’s main indexes were little changed at the open. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.06 per cent to 43,296.05, the S&P 500 0.04 per cent to 5,914.34, andthe Nasdaq Composite dropped 0.09 per cent to 18,971.311 at the bell.
The Toronto Stock Exchange’s S&P/TSX composite index opened 0.04 per cent at 25,021.86 on cautious trading.
In Canada, investors are getting results from Metro Inc.
On Wall Street, markets are watching earnings from Nvidia Corp., Target Corp., Palo Alto Networks Inc. and TJX Cos. Inc.
“(Nvidia) was naturally the key topic on everyone’s mind. Big-picture, a nice beat seems widely anticipated,” said Joshua Meyers, executive director at JPMorgan, in a note to clients.
Overseas, the pan-European STOXX 600 was up 0.46 per cent in morning trading. Britain’s FTSE 100 rose 0.13 per cent, Germany’s DAX gained 0.36 per cent and France’s CAC 40 advanced 0.33 per cent.
In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei closed 0.16 per cent lower, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng climbed 0.21 per cent.
Commodities
Oil prices edged higher as concerns about escalating hostilities in the Ukraine war potentially disrupting oil supply from Russia offset data showing rising U.S. crude stocks.
Brent crude futures were up 0.7 per cent at US$73.80 a barrel, while West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures gained 0.8 per cent to US$69.80.
“We may expect (Brent) oil prices to stay supported above the $70 level for now, as market participants continue to monitor the geopolitical developments,” said Yeap Jun Rong, market strategist at IG.
In other commodities, spot gold was down 0.2 per cent at US$2,627.60 an ounce, after hitting its highest levels since Nov. 11 earlier in the session. U.S. gold futures were steady at US$2,631.30.
Currencies and bonds
The Canadian dollar weakened against its U.S. counterpart.
The day range on the loonie was 71.42 US cents to 71.68 US cents in early trading. The Canadian dollar was down about 1.1 per cent against the greenback over the past month.
The U.S. dollar index, which weighs the greenback against a group of currencies, climbed 0.35 per cent to 106.57.
The euro fell 0.37 per cent to US$1.0558. The British pound slid 0.05 per cent to US$1.2675.
In bonds, the yield on the U.S. 10-year note was last up at 4.437.
Other corporate news
Metro Inc. has reported sales growth and a slight decline in profits in its fourth quarter as the company completed investments in its supply chain.
Target has forecast holiday-quarter comparable sales and profit below Wall Street expectations after missing third-quarter estimates as value-conscious consumers shopped for low-priced essentials at rival retailers including Walmart
Economic news
Japan’s trade deficit and machine tool orders
British CPI, which jumped more than expected to an annualized 2.3 per cent last month, rising back above the Bank of England’s 2-per cent target. Underlying price growth gathered speed too, as the central bank moves cautiously on interest rate cuts.
(8:30 a.m. ET) Canada’s construction investment for September.
With Reuters and The Canadian Press