Wall Street futures edged higher early Tuesday with key U.S. inflation data in focus. Major European markets were mostly positive. TSX futures were up.
In the early premarket period, Dow, S&P and Nasdaq futures all saw gains. All three finished in positive territory on Monday with the Nasdaq popping 1.5 per cent while the S&P 500 added nearly 1 per cent. Both the S&P and Nasdaq managed their best closing levels yesterday since last spring. Canada’s S&P/TSX Composite Index closed yesterday up 0.15 per cent, helped by gains in the tech sector.
Tuesday’s key event for markets is the release of May inflation figures. The report comes one day before the Federal Reserve’s interest rate decision.
The figures released early Tuesday morning showed that the annual rate of U.S. inflation fell to a two-year low of 4 per cent in May from 4.9 per cent a month earlier. The annual rate of U.S. inflation peaked at 9.1 per cent last June.
On a monthly basis, consumer prices rose 0.1 per cent last month. The annual rate of core inflation, excluding food and energy, was 5.3 per cent in May, roughly in line with forecasts and down from 5.5 per cent in April.
“The CPI data has shown clearly that the Fed needs to take summer off now with respect to their monetary policy,”Naeem Aslam, chief investment officer with Zaye Capital Markets, said.
“The data is showing that inflation is slowing down and it is moving in the direction. Traders are already expecting some kind of a pause from the Fed or at least some hints coming in their meeting which is planned tomorrow. In simple terms, it seems like there is less wood to chop for the Fed as inflation begins to cool down.”
As of early Tuesday morning, markets were pricing in a more than 70-per-cent chance that the Fed would hold interest rates steady in its policy decision, due Wednesday afternoon.
Canada’s May inflation report is expected next week.
On the corporate side, shares of Oracle were up more than 4 per cent in premarket trading after the cloud and software company beat fourth-quarter revenue estimates and forecast a positive first quarter. Oracle forecast total revenue to rise 8 per cent to 10 per cent in the first quarter. Analysts on average were expecting growth of about 8 per cent, Reuters reported.
In Canada, The Globe’s Nicolas Van Praet reports Rio Tinto PLC is investing $1.4-billion to expand its aluminum manufacturing operations in Saguenay, Que., breathing new life into the industrial centre after years of uncertainty. The mining giant said Monday it will build out a smelter that uses lower-carbon AP60 technology at its Complexe Jonquière site, adding 96 new pots to the existing 38 and increasing capacity to about 220,000 metric tonnes of primary aluminum per year.
Overseas, the pan-European STOXX 600 was up 0.01 per cent in late morning trading. Britain’s FTSE 100 dipped 0.09 per cent. Germany’s DAX and France’s CAC 40 advanced 0.15 per cent and 0.02 per cent, respectively. The European Central Bank is scheduled to release its next rate decision on Thursday. That central bank is expected to hike rates again by a quarter percentage point.
In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei closed up 1.8 per cent, topping the 33,000 level for the first time in more than three decades. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng gained 0.60 per cent.
Commodities
Crude prices recouped some of the previous session’s steep losses as traders await Wednesday’s Fed rate decision.
The day range on Brent was US$71.94 to US$72.87 in the early premarket period. The range on West Texas Intermediate was US$67.15 to US$67.89. Both benchmarks were up more than 1 per cent early Tuesday morning after losing US$3 a barrel on Monday.
“With every energy trader buckling up for a massive week of central bank rate decisions and important economic data, volatile price action should be expected,” OANDA senior analyst Ed Moya said.
“Oil could get many conflicting signals this week as we are expecting a hawkish skip by the Fed, another ECB rate hike and a signal for more tightening, possibly a technical recession for New Zealand, and a growing case for easing by the People’s Bank of China.”
He added that the global economic outlook could mean more demand weakness ahead “which could support oil prices remaining under pressure unless OPEC+ signals and delivers on more production cuts.”
Later Tuesday, markets will get the first of two weekly U.S. inventory reports, with fresh numbers from the American Petroleum Institute. More official government figures are due Wednesday morning.
In other commodities, gold prices saw tentative gains, helped by a softer U.S. dollar.
Spot gold rose 0.3 per cent to US$1,962.59 per ounce by early Tuesday. U.S. gold futures gained 0.3 per cent to US$1,975.80.
“With stocks in bull market territory, demand for safe-havens has disappeared,” Mr. Moya said.
“Gold either needs investors to get nervous about earnings, disinflation trends to improve, or for the PBOC to send a strong message that they will energize growth.”
Currencies
The Canadian dollar was slightly firmer in early trading as its U.S. counterpart saw a modest decline against a basket of global currencies.
The day range on the loonie was 74.74 US cents to 74.96 US cents in the early premarket period. As of early Tuesday morning, the Canadian dollar had gained 0.94 per cent against the greenback over the last month.
There were no major Canadian economic releases due Tuesday.
On world markets, the U.S. dollar index, which weighs the greenback against a group of currencies, was down 0.3 per cent at 103.27. The index has lost about 0.8 per cent over the past month.
Elsewhere, the euro was up 0.42 per cent to $1.08 on Tuesday, after touching its highest since May 23 earlier in the session at US$1.081, according to figures from Reuters.
Britain’s pound was up 0.43 per cent at US$1.257 after a stronger-than-expected reading on employment prompted traders to bet the Bank of England would have to raise interest rates further than previously expected. Still, it remained below the one-month peak of US$1.26 hit on Monday, Reuters reported.
In bonds, the yield on the U.S. 10-year note was lower at 3.726 per cent in the predawn period.
More company news
U.S. grains merchant Bunge and Glencore-backed Viterraon Tuesday announced an US$18-billion deal including debt to merge, creating one of the world’s largest agriculture trading firms. The deal brings Bunge closer in global scale to leading rivals Archer-Daniels-Midland and Cargill and will be examined closely by antitrust regulators. Shares of Bunge fell 5 in premarket trading. -Reuters
Nippon Steel remains interested in Teck Resources’ steelmaking coal assets, a spokesperson said on Tuesday, adding that talks continue despite Glencore’s latest offer for the Canadian miner’s coal business. Swiss trading and mining firm Glencore on Monday offered to buy Teck’s steelmaking coal business as a standalone unit, after the Canadian miner twice rebuffed its $22.5 billon offer to combine the two companies. Nippon Steel’s spokesperson declined to comment on Glencore’s latest proposal. –Reuters
Toyota will introduce high-performance, solid-state batteries and other technologies to improve the driving range and cut costs of future electric vehicles (EVs), the automaker said on Tuesday, a strategic pivot that sent its shares higher. The Japanese giant’s technology roadmap, covering aspects as varied as next-generation battery development and a radical redesign of factories, amounted to the automaker’s fullest disclosure of its plan to compete in the fast-growing market for EVs where it has lagged rivals led by Tesla. –Reuters
Economic news
(6 a.m. ET) U.S. NFIB Small Business Economic Trends Survey for May.
TORONTO – Roots Corp. may have built its brand on all things comfy and cosy, but its CEO says activewear is now “really becoming a core part” of the brand.
The category, which at Roots spans leggings, tracksuits, sports bras and bike shorts, has seen such sustained double-digit growth that Meghan Roach plans to make it a key part of the business’ future.
“It’s an area … you will see us continue to expand upon,” she told analysts on a Friday call.
The Toronto-based retailer’s push into activewear has taken shape over many years and included several turns as the official designer and supplier of Team Canada’s Olympic uniform.
But consumers have had plenty of choice when it comes to workout gear and other apparel suited to their sporting needs. On top of the slew of athletic brands like Nike and Adidas, shoppers have also gravitated toward Lululemon Athletica Inc., Alo and Vuori, ramping up competition in the activewear category.
Roach feels Roots’ toehold in the category stems from the fit, feel and following its merchandise has cultivated.
“Our product really resonates with (shoppers) because you can wear it through multiple different use cases and occasions,” she said.
“We’ve been seeing customers come back again and again for some of these core products in our activewear collection.”
Her remarks came the same day as Roots revealed it lost $5.2 million in its latest quarter compared with a loss of $5.3 million in the same quarter last year.
The company said the second-quarter loss amounted to 13 cents per diluted share for the quarter ended Aug. 3, the same as a year earlier.
In presenting the results, Roach reminded analysts that the first half of the year is usually “seasonally small,” representing just 30 per cent of the company’s annual sales.
Sales for the second quarter totalled $47.7 million, down from $49.4 million in the same quarter last year.
The move lower came as direct-to-consumer sales amounted to $36.4 million, down from $37.1 million a year earlier, as comparable sales edged down 0.2 per cent.
The numbers reflect the fact that Roots continued to grapple with inventory challenges in the company’s Cooper fleece line that first cropped up in its previous quarter.
Roots recently began to use artificial intelligence to assist with daily inventory replenishments and said more tools helping with allocation will go live in the next quarter.
Beyond that time period, the company intends to keep exploring AI and renovate more of its stores.
It will also re-evaluate its design ranks.
Roots announced Friday that chief product officer Karuna Scheinfeld has stepped down.
Rather than fill the role, the company plans to hire senior level design talent with international experience in the outdoor and activewear sectors who will take on tasks previously done by the chief product officer.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
VANCOUVER – Mediated talks between the union representing HandyDART workers in Metro Vancouver and its employer, Transdev, are set to resume today as a strike that has stopped most services drags into a second week.
No timeline has been set for the length of the negotiations, but Joe McCann, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1724, says they are willing to stay there as long as it takes, even if talks drag on all night.
About 600 employees of the door-to-door transit service for people unable to navigate the conventional transit system have been on strike since last Tuesday, pausing service for all but essential medical trips.
Hundreds of drivers rallied outside TransLink’s head office earlier this week, calling for the transportation provider to intervene in the dispute with Transdev, which was contracted to oversee HandyDART service.
Transdev said earlier this week that it will provide a reply to the union’s latest proposal on Thursday.
A statement from the company said it “strongly believes” that their employees deserve fair wages, and that a fair contract “must balance the needs of their employees, clients and taxpayers.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
MONTREAL – Travel company Transat AT Inc. reported a loss in its latest quarter compared with a profit a year earlier as its revenue edged lower.
The parent company of Air Transat says it lost $39.9 million or $1.03 per diluted share in its quarter ended July 31.
The result compared with a profit of $57.3 million or $1.49 per diluted share a year earlier.
Revenue in what was the company’s third quarter totalled $736.2 million, down from $746.3 million in the same quarter last year.
On an adjusted basis, Transat says it lost $1.10 per share in its latest quarter compared with an adjusted profit of $1.10 per share a year earlier.
Transat chief executive Annick Guérard says demand for leisure travel remains healthy, as evidenced by higher traffic, but consumers are increasingly price conscious given the current economic uncertainty.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
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