Equities<\/p>\n
Global markets were mixed in cautious trading as investors assessed prospects of a U.S.-Iran peace deal and progress toward reopening the Strait of Hormuz, while also taking in a slew of corporate earnings reports.<\/p>\n
Wall Street futures were also mixed, with the Nasdaq in the red amid renewed tech jitters.<\/p>\n
TSX futures pointed higher after Canada\u2019s main stock market closed at a fresh record high yesterday.<\/p>\n
In Canada, investors are getting results from BCE Inc.<\/a>, AtkinsR\u00e9alis Group Inc.,<\/a> Canadian Natural Resources Ltd.<\/a>, Sun Life Financial Inc., Wheaton Precious Metals Corp., Restaurant Brands International Inc.<\/a>, Iamgold Corp., and Saputo Inc.<\/p>\n On Wall Street, markets are watching earnings from ConocoPhillips, Airbnb Inc., Cloudflare Inc., Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. and Open Text Corp.<\/p>\n Overseas, the pan-European STOXX 600 was up 0.44 per cent. Britain\u2019s FTSE 100 rose 0.18 per cent, Germany\u2019s DAX gained 0.22 per cent and France\u2019s CAC 40 advanced 0.7 per cent.<\/p>\n In Asia, Japan\u2019s Nikkei closed 0.93 per cent lower, while Hong Kong\u2019s Hang Seng dropped 1.49 per cent. <\/p>\n Commodities<\/p>\n Oil prices climbed as investors remained cautious on the outcome of Iran-Oman talks and whether they will restore flows through the Strait of Hormuz, while reports of attacks on Saudi tankers in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden renewed supply tensions.<\/p>\n Brent crude futures gained 1.28 per cent to US$80.47 a barrel. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures edged up 1.02 per cent to trade at US$75.99 a barrel.<\/p>\n \u201cTraders still remember the short-lived memorandum of understanding signed in June, so there is understandable anxiety that any new deal could prove equally fragile,\u201d said Tim Waterer, chief market analyst at KCM Trade.<\/p>\n In other commodities, spot gold was up 0.6 per cent at US$4,271.33 an ounce. Yesterday, bullion posted its biggest daily gain since February. U.S. gold futures rose 0.6 per cent to US$4,333.20.<\/p>\n Currencies and bonds<\/p>\n The Canadian dollar strengthened against its U.S. counterpart.<\/p>\n The day range on the loonie was 71.32 US cents to 71.46 US cents in early trading. The Canadian dollar was up about 1.23 per cent against the greenback over the past month. <\/p>\n The U.S. dollar index, which weighs the greenback against a group of currencies, rose 0.12 per cent to 99.79. The dollar was pegged at $1.3996. <\/p>\n The euro slid 0.12 per cent to US$1.1541. The British pound declined 0.03 per cent to US$1.3465. <\/p>\n In bonds, the yield on the U.S. 10-year note was last up at 4.648 per cent. <\/p>\n Economic news<\/p>\n China\u2019s foreign reserves<\/p>\n Euro zone\u2019s retail sales<\/p>\n Germany\u2019s factory orders<\/p>\n