Equities
Global markets were mixed amid a weakness in tech stocks and investors assessed whether developments in the Middle East would lead toward a peace deal to end the months-long conflict.
Wall Street futures diverged with the Dow pointing higher after major North American markets closed down yesterday.
TSX futures were in positive territory.
In Canada, investors are getting results from Lululemon Athletica Inc. and Saputo Inc.
On Wall Street, markets are watching earnings from Ciena Corp.
“Financial markets shifted back into a risk-off mode as the U.S. and Iran exchanged fire again,” analysts from Westpac wrote in a research report.
Overseas, the pan-European STOXX 600 was up 0.25 per cent. Britain’s FTSE 100 declined 0.07 per cent, Germany’s DAX rose 0.72 per cent and France’s CAC 40 advanced 1.12 per cent.
In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei closed 1.36 per cent lower, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng slid 1.48 per cent.
Commodities
Oil prices fell after a ceasefire deal between Israel and Lebanon boosted hopes for a broader agreement to end the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran that could lead to a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
Brent futures were down 3.1 per cent to US$94.90 a barrel, while West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude dropped 3.2 per cent to US$92.96.
“Iran insists on a halt to Israel’s aggression toward Lebanon, meaning Hezbollah, and indeed there does seem a breakthrough,” PVM Oil analyst John Evans said.
In other commodities, spot gold was up 1.7 per cent to US$4,506.19 an ounce. U.S. gold futures for August delivery gained 1.5 per cent to US$4,533.60.
Currencies and bonds
The Canadian dollar strengthened against its U.S. counterpart.
The day range on the loonie was 71.80 US cents to 72.01 US cents in early trading. The Canadian dollar was down about 1.6 per cent against the greenback over the past month.
The U.S. dollar index, which weighs the greenback against a group of currencies, slid 0.3 per cent to 99.23. The dollar was pegged at $1.3891.
The euro climbed 0.39 per cent to US$1.1643. The British pound advanced 0.31 per cent to US$1.3458.
In bonds, the yield on the U.S. 10-year note was last down at 4.460 per cent.
Other corporate news
SpaceX publicly set a US$135 price for shares in its initial public offering on Wednesday, upending the longstanding Wall Street price-discovery apparatus and underscoring Elon Musk’s determination to raise record sums his way.
Economic news
Euro zone’s retail sales.
8:30 a.m. ET: U.S. initial jobless claims for week of May 30, which increased more than expected, but the underlying trend remained consistent with a stable labour market. Claims rose 13,000 to a seasonally adjusted 225,000, compared with forecasts of 212,000, down 3,000 from the previous week.
8:30 a.m. ET: U.S. productivity and unit labour costs for Q1. Analysts are projecting annualized rate rises of 0.5 per cent and 2.5 per cent, respectively.
10 a.m. ET: U.S. Global Supply Chain Pressure Index for May.
With Reuters and The Canadian Press