A.M. market numbers: August 13, 2009

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

The Toronto stock market appeared headed for a positive open Thursday morning after the U.S. Federal Reserve reinforced belief that the American economy is improving.

The TSX finished higher Wednesday, up 30 points after two days of sharp losses, after the central bank said at the end of its two-day meeting that the economy appears to be "levelling out" rather than shrinking at a slower rate.

It also kept interest rates near zero — and indicated they will stay that way for "an extended period."

U.S. futures indicated a sharply higher open with the Dow futures ahead 90 points to 9,409, the Nasdaq futures advanced 16.2 points to 1,635 and the S&P futures rose 10.5 points to 1,012.7.

Higher oil prices should also give the TSX a lift during the session. Crude prices headed up following the Fed announcement with the September crude contract on the New York Mercantile Exchange ahead $1.36 to US$71.52 a barrel.

A strong earnings report from Wal-Mart Stores Inc. also encouraged investors as the retailing giant reported second-quarter profit virtually unchanged from a year ago, but results beat Wall Street expectations.

The world’s largest retailer said it is boosting its profit outlook as it benefits from a series of cost-cutting moves. Wal-Mart earned US$3.44 billion, or 88 cents per share, in the quarter. Revenue fell 1.4% to US$100.08 billion.

In Canadian earnings news, T-shirt maker Gildan Activewear Inc. reported third-quarter profits of US$41.5 million or 34 cents per share, down from year-earlier net earnings of US$54.5 million or 45 cents per share. Sales declined 19.2% to US$307.8 million.

Troubled toy-maker Mega Brands Inc. said Thursday losses deepened in the second quarter as sales declined. The Montreal-based company reported a net loss of US$13.3 million or 36 cents per share for the quarter ended June 30 after posting a $3.6 million loss a year ago. Sales fell to $70.1 million from $106.4 million.

Petrobank Energy and Resources Ltd. reported net income of $34.7 million or 40 cents per share for the quarter ended June 30, down from year-earlier profits of $57.6 million or 64 cents per share. Oil and natural gas revenue slid 9% to $224.4 million compared to $247.5 million recorded during the corresponding quarter of 2008.

The Canadian dollar was sharply higher for a second day as the greenback weakened. The loonie ran up 0.76 of a cent to 92.64 cents US after rising just over a cent on Wednesday.

The December bullion contract on the Nymex was up $7.40 to US$959.90 an ounce.

In Asia, optimism was stoked by the Fed’s vote of confidence in the U.S. economy. Japan’s Nikkei 225 stock average rose 0.8% while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng jumped 2.1%. London’s FTSE 100 index gained 1.2%, Frankfurt’s DAX advanced 1.6% and the Paris CAC 40 was up 1.3%.

(The Canadian Press)

North American markets

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Dow Jones	9,361.61	+120.16 or +1.30%	+6.67%
S&P 500	1,005.81	+11.46 or +1.15%	+11.35%
NASDAQ	1,998.72	+28.99 or +1.47%	+26.74%
TSX Composite	10,659.87	+30.40 or +0.29%	+18.61%

International markets

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	Open	Change	YTD
Nikkei	10,517.19	+82.19 or +0.79%	+18.71%
Hang Seng	20,861.30	+426.06 or +2.08%	+45.00%
SENSEX	15,518.49	+498.33 or +3.32%	+60.86%
FTSE 100	4,781.60	+64.84 or +1.37%	+7.84%
CAC 40	3,553.16	+45.92 or +1.31%	+10.42%
DAX	5,439.77	+89.68 or +1.68%	+13.09%

Bonds

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Bonds	$Current	$Previous	%Yield
Cdn. 10-year bond	101.95	102.12	3.51
Cdn. 30-year bond	116.79	117.02	3.99
U.S. 10-year bond	98.92	95.47	3.76
U.S. 30-year bond	94.77	96.87	4.57

Currency

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BoC Open	Today	Previous
Canadian $	0.9264	0.9188
US $	1.0794	1.0884

Euro Spot Rate	Today	Previous
Canadian $	0.6470	0.6465
Euro	1.5456	1.5468

Commodities

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Gold	AM	PM
London Gold Fix ($US)	$956.00	$946.00

Oil	Open	Change
WTI Crude Future (US)	$71.57	+$1.41 or +2.01%

(08/13/09)