(Reuters) – Futures for Canada’s main stock index advanced on Friday, with stocks continuing to rise after notching record highs in the previous session, while investors await for more economic data to gauge the health of the Canadian economy.
March futures on the S&P/TSX index were up 0.3% at 6:27 a.m. ET (10:27 GMT).
The benchmark index logged record highs on Thursday, helped by gains from heavily weighted financial shares, as investors cheered recent signs that inflation is cooling and the economy is avoiding a recession.
Materials stocks, which include Canada’s base and precious metal miners, continue to be in focus after prices of most nonferrous metals fell and were on track for a weekly decline, as a stronger made greenback-priced metals more expensive to holders of other currencies.
Gold prices also slipped due to a stronger dollar, but were set for a weekly gain as the U.S Federal Reserve’s decision to retain its interest…
