A.M. market numbers: August 10, 2009

| North American markets | International markets | Bonds | Currency | Commodities |

The Toronto stock market looked to a flat opening Monday morning after better-than-expected news about U.S. job losses helped the main index rise almost % last week.

U.S. futures also pointed to a tepid opening ahead of a week where key retailers such as Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Macy’s Inc. will report earnings.

Investors will also look to the Federal Reserve for indications of how the economy is faring as the central bank holds its scheduled two-day meeting on interest rates starting on Tuesday. It is widely expected the Fed will keep key interest rates steady at near zero, but concerns about inflation are starting to grow, which could eventually force the Fed to raise rates.

The Dow futures were down 13 points at 9,312, the Nasdaq futures were off 2.75 points at 1,617, and the S&P 500 futures eased 1.1 points to 1,005.3.

Meanwhile, the Canadian dollar gained 0.17 of a cent to 92.57 cents US.

North American markets rallied sharply on Friday after the U.S. Labour Department said employers cut 247,000 jobs in July, fewer than the 320,000 expected to be cut, which spurred the Dow Jones industrials 2.2% higher for the week.

The news wasn’t so great in Canada where the labour market shed another 45,000 jobs in July, almost triple the rate expected by analysts.

The strong showing on North American markets last week extended a spring rally well into the summer months, with the TSX up about 50% since investors priced in a possible depression back in early March. But investors will continue to hunt for signs of economic improvement to keep sending stocks higher.

On Monday, oil prices held firm well above the US$70 a barrel level with the September contract unchanged at US$70.93 a barrel.

The December bullion contract was down $3.90 to US$955.60 an ounce while September copper rose five cents to US$2.84 a pound.

In Asia, Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 stock average rose 1.1%, to a 10-month high of 10,524.26 after an unexpected surge in Japanese machinery orders, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng jumped 2.7%, to 20,929.52, its best finish in about 11 months.

London’s FTSE 100 index declined 0.65%, Frankfurt’s DAX was down 1% while the Paris CAC 40 lost 0.71%.

In corporate news, the Globe and Mail reported that Cameco Corp. (TSX:CCO) is preparing to sell its interest in Centerra Gold Inc. (TSX:CG) with a public stock sale. The sale is expected to raise more than $600 million and bring the uranium giant’s foray into the gold business to an end.

Gran Tierra Energy Inc. (TSX:GTE) reported a net loss of US$28.2 million in the second quarter Monday, compared with gain of $8.5 million in same quarter of 2008.

The company, which is focused on oil exploration and production in South America, also reported a 271% increase in production to 12,611 barrels of oil per day net after royalty for the quarter.

(The Canadian Press)

North American markets

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Dow Jones	9,370.07	+113.81 or +1.23%	+6.76%
S&P 500	1,010.48	+13.40 or +1.34%	+11.87%
NASDAQ	2,000.25	+27.09 or +1.37%	+26.84%
TSX Composite	10,885.33	+91.96 or +0.85%	+21.11%

International markets

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	Open	Change	YTD
Nikkei	10,524.26	+112.17 or +1.08%	+18.79%
Hang Seng	20,929.52	+554.15 or +2.72%	+45.47%
SENSEX	15,009.77	-150.47 or -0.99%	+55.59%
FTSE 100	4,703.27	-28.29 or -0.60%	+6.07%
CAC 40	3,492.63	-28.51 or -0.81%	+8.54%
DAX	5,406.17	-52.79 or -0.97%	+12.39%

Bonds

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Bonds	$Current	$Previous	%Yield
Cdn. 10-year bond	101.20	101.71	3.60
Cdn. 30-year bond	115.45	116.39	4.07
U.S. 10-year bond	94.03	94.84	3.85
U.S. 30-year bond	94.22	95.30	4.61

Currency

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BoC Open	Today	Previous
Canadian $	0.9257	0.9239
US $	1.0802	1.0823

Euro Spot Rate	Today	Previous
Canadian $	0.6512	0.6520
Euro	1.5355	1.5338

Commodities

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Gold	AM	PM
London Gold Fix ($US)	$ 953.50	$956.00

Oil	Open	Change
WTI Crude Future (US)	$70.95	+$0.02 or +0.03%

(08/10/09)