The Toronto stock market looked to open lower Wednesday as U.S. employment data raised concerns about the Federal Reserve cutting back on economic stimulus and traders took in earnings from National Bank (TSX:NA).
National Bank posted $337 million in quarterly net income, adding up to a full-year profit of $1.554 billion. Ex-items, the bank had $370 million of adjusted net income, or $2.09 per share, up eight per cent from $1.93 per share a year earlier, which met expectations. National Bank is also upping its quarterly cash dividend by six per cent to 93 cents and also announced plans for a two-for-one stock split.
All the big banks are reporting this week. Bank of Montreal shares fell 4.5 per cent Monday even as earnings beat expectations. Investors were disappointed with, among other things, weakness in its U.S. operations.
The Canadian dollar was down 0.21 of a cent to 93.7 cents US ahead of the mid-morning interest rate announcement by the Bank of Canada.
U.S. futures were lower as the Dow Jones industrial futures lost 36 points to 15,855, the Nasdaq futures were down 8.3 points to 3,467.5 while the S&P 500 futures were off 5.5 points at 1,786.
There was positive news on the employment front two days before the release of the U.S. government’s employment report.
Payroll firm ADP reported that the American private sector created 215,000 jobs during November. Economists have been forecasting that the government report would show that the economy cranked out a total of 183,000 jobs during the month.
While the data is another sign of an improving economy, analysts believe a report showing continuing, steady employment gains could persuade the Federal Reserve that it’s time to start cutting back on its US$85 billion of monthly bond purchases.
The Fed’s stimulus has supported a strong performance on global stock markets over the past few years. But tapering those asset purchases could work the opposite way, even though it would mean that the U.S. economy is improving.
Oil prices were higher as oil ministers from the OPEC cartel gathered in Vienna.
The January crude contract on the New York Mercantile Exchange gained 88 cents to US$96.92 a barrel.
Iran indirectly challenged OPEC kingpin Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, announcing that it plans to pump as much oil as it can once sanctions on its crude exports are lifted, even if its extra output drives prices into the basement.
In other corporate developments, Air Canada (TSX:AC.B) could be in for a rise after an analyst at BMO increased the price target for the carrier’s shares to $10 from $7.50. Air Canada’s share price has skyrocketed during this 2013 from a 52-week low of $1.59.
Metal prices were mixed with March copper ahead a penny to US$3.18 a pound. And February bullion declined $5.20 to US$1,215.60 an ounce.
Earlier in Asia, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell 0.8 per cent, South Korea’s Kospi slid 1.1 per cent while China’s Shanghai Composite added 1.3 per cent and Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 gained 0.3 per cent.
European bourses were negative as London’s FTSE declined 0.36 per cent, Frankfurt’s DAX lost 0.41 per cent while the Paris CAC 40 declined 0.8 per cent.