Before the Bell: What every Canadian investor needs to know today

Before the Bell: What every Canadian investor needs to know today S.R. SLOBODIAN PUBLISHED 1 HOUR AGO UPDATED 2 MINUTES AGO COMMENTS SHARE SAVE FOR LATER Listen to this article Learn more about audio Log in or create a free account to listen to this article. Equities Global markets edged higher as a respite in ​the global bond selloff and a drop in ‌oil prices steadied nerves ahead of a pivotal U.S. Federal Reserve decision later in the day. Wall Street futures were in positive territory after major North American markets closed down yesterday. TSX futures followed sentiment higher. In Canada, investors are getting results from Dollarama Inc. On Wall Street, markets are watching earnings from Lennar Corp. “We maintain our tactically cautious/neutral view into the Fed,” JPMorgan analysts wrote, noting that the market consensus expectation is for a 25 basis-point rate hike accompanied by little ‌forward guidance. The meeting “could ​be a clearing event” for ‌the market “to reset rate hike expectations,” they added, but warned “inaction risks institutional credibility.” Overseas, the pan-European STOXX 600 was up 0.27 per cent in morning trading. Britain’s FTSE 100 rose 0.31 per cent, Germany’s DAX advanced 0.07 per cent and France’s CAC 40 gained 0.19 per cent. In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei closed 0.69 per cent higher, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng climbed 0.19 per cent.    S&P 500 FUTURES 7,672.50+16.75 (0.22%) TSX 60 FUTURES 2,099.40+3.80 (0.18%) DOW FUTURES 52,584.00+51.00 (0.10%) PAST DAY 0.22% 0.18% 0.11% CLOSE, SEPT. 15 5:03 A.M., SEPT. 16 SOURCE: BARCHART Commodities Oil ​prices declined as reports that Saudi Arabia was offering additional crude ​cargoes via Oman eased concerns about the scale of ‌Middle East supply disruptions. Brent crude futures were down almost 1 per cent to US$107.70 a barrel. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures fell 1.55 per cent to trade at US$104.20 a barrel. “News around Saudi Arabia exporting from the Gulf suggests concerns that the disruption could be larger are easing,” said UBS analyst Giovanni Staunovo. In other commodities, spot gold was up 0.7 per cent to US$4,324.36 an​ounce, after touching a more than one-month low on Monday. U.S. gold futures for December delivery rose 0.8 per cent to US$4,365. SPOT GOLD US$4,372.00+39.10 (0.90%) HIGH GRADE COPPER US$6.48+0.04 (0.66%) WTI US$104.59-1.33 (-1.26%) PAST DAY 0.90% 0.57% -1.17% CLOSE, SEPT. 15 5:03 A.M., SEPT. 16 SOURCE: BARCHART Currencies…