Jan 18 (Reuters) - Stock futures pointed to a higher opening
for Canada's main stock index on Monday after oil prices
retreated from multi-year lows.
March futures on the S&P TSX index SXFc1 were up 0.31
percent at 7:15 a.m. EST (1215 GMT).
No major economic events are scheduled for the day.
Canada's main stock index fell more than 2 percent on Friday
as a further slide in crude oil prices weighed heavily on energy
shares, while jitters about domestic and global economic growth
hit banks and industrial and consumer names.
Dow Jones Industrial Average e-mini futures 1YMc1 were up
0.31 percent at 7:15 a.m. EST, while S&P 500 e-mini futures
Esc1 were up 0.35 percent and Nasdaq 100 e-mini futures NQc1
were up 0.37 percent.
U.S. stock markets are closed on Monday for the Martin
Luther King Jr. holiday.
TOP STORIES
Oil and gas producer Suncor Energy Inc SU.TO said it had
reached an agreement to buy Canadian Oil Sands Ltd COS.TO
after raising its all-stock offer, valuing the deal at about
C$4.24 billion ($2.93 billion) excluding debt.
Iran has issued an order to increase crude oil production by
500,000 barrels a day, the deputy oil minister was quoted as
saying on Monday, implementing its policy to boost production as
soon as sanctions were lifted. AT 7:15 a.m.
Gold futures GCc2 : $1,089.70; -0.09 pct
US crude CLc1 : $29.57; +0.58 pct
Brent crude LCOc1 : $29.26; +1.07 pct
LME 3-month copper CMCU3 : $4,378.50; +1.10 pct
ANALYST RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS
Melcor Developments Ltd MRD.TO : RBC cuts target price to
C$16 from C$18
Westjet Airlines Ltd WJA.TO : National Bank Financial cuts
target price to C$24 from C$26; rating "outperform"
U.S. ECONOMIC DATA DUE ON MONDAY
No major data is scheduled for release
($1= C$1.45)