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 48 MINUTES AGO UPDATED 15 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 were lower as ​investors weighed lingering tensions in the Middle East and awaited the highly anticipated talks between the U.S. and China. Wall Street futures were in the red after major North American markets closed down yesterday, under pressure from higher bond yields. TSX futures followed sentiment lower after Canada’s main stock market fell 1.6 per cent in the previous session. In Canada, investors are getting results from BlackBerry Ltd. On Wall Street, markets are watching earnings from Costco Wholesale Corp. “The U.S. and China have agreed to extend their trade truce for another two months. [U.S. President Donald] Trump and [Chinese President Xi Jinping] will meet today,” Ipek Ozkardeskaya, senior analyst at Swissquote, wrote in a note. “The two leaders’ willingness to fight the AI race – and win – could eventually counterweigh AI experts’ warnings that the development of increasingly powerful models should slow. That, combined with the present Muse AI optimism, could encourage technology investors to look for dip-buying opportunities.” Overseas, the pan-European STOXX 600 was down 0.56 per cent in morning trading. Britain’s FTSE 100 declined 0.18 per cent, Germany’s DAX dropped 0.8 per cent and France’s CAC 40 fell 0.77 per cent. In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei returned from a holiday breaking, closing 0.76 per cent higher. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng slid 0.29 per cent.    TSX 60 FUTURES 2,091.10-8.00 (-0.38%) DOW FUTURES 51,665.00-208.00 (-0.40%) S&P 500 FUTURES 7,725.25-47.25 (-0.61%) PAST DAY -0.38% -0.40% -0.61% CLOSE, SEPT. 23 4:51 A.M., SEPT. 24 SOURCE: BARCHART Commodities Oil prices were on the rise as ​diplomatic talks between the U.S. and Iran ‌showed little sign of progress, while investors focused on uncertainty about a potential US ban on diesel exports. Brent crude futures were up 2.8 per cent to US$106.00 a barrel. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures gained 2.43 per cent to US$94.40 a barrel. “Brent retains a larger geopolitical ​and sea-route premium because international crude is more ⁠directly exposed to Middle East and Hormuz disruption, while WTI ⁠benefits more from relatively insulated U.S. supply,” said ‌Priyanka Sachdeva,…