A.M. market numbers: August 31, 2009

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

The Toronto stock market headed for a lower opening Monday after steep declines in Asia overnight sent ripples throughout global markets.

China’s main Shanghai market retreated 6.7% while Hong Kong lost 1.9%, reflecting the growing unease among investors about government measures to restrict the lavish bank lending that has helped send markets surging this year.

Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 stock average lost 0.4% after Japan’s opposition party came to power in a landslide victory and amid data showing the country’s factory output rose for the fifth straight month in July.

Japan’s factory output rose 1.9% last month from June and the country’s industry ministry says the trend "continues to show an upward movement.”

The July results beat a 1.6% rise forecast in Kyodo news agency’s survey of economists.

The Toronto market is coming off a gain of 147 points or 1.35% last week, led by advances in the financial sector after most of the big Canadian banks delivered earnings report that beat expectations.

The energy sector will pressure the Toronto market as the October crude contract on the New York Mercantile Exchange moved down $1.56 to US$71.18 a barrel.

Other commodity prices slid with the December bullion contract down $4.60 to US$954.20 an ounce while September copper fell five cents to US$2.90.

Canadian investors are also looking to the latest snapshot of economic growth. Statistics Canada is expected to report that gross domestic product rose 0.2% .

Later in the week, key readings will be released on manufacturing and employment in August that have the ability to either sustain or upset the market’s massive six-month rally.

U.S. futures also pointed to a negative opening as the Dow industrial futures backed off 65 points, the Nasdaq futures fell 11 points to 1,631.5 and the S&P 500 futures declined 7.1 points to 1,020.3.

The Canadian dollar was down 1.04 cents to 90.54 cents US.

In other overseas trading, the London market is closed while the Frankfurt DAX dipped 0.78 % and the Paris CAC 40 lost 0.75%.

In corporate news, Brick Brewing Co. Ltd. (TSX: BRB) says it is being taken to court by the world’s largest beer maker, which claims the Ontario company has violated the trademarks and copyrights for Bud Light Lime. Brick says Anheuser-Busch, Inc. and Labatt Brewing Co., both subsidiaries of the world’s largest beer company, are seeking an injunction from the Federal Court of Canada.

(The Canadian Press)

North American markets

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Dow Jones	9,580.63	+37.11 or +0.39%	+9.16%
S&P 500	1,030.98	+2.86 or +0.28%	+14.14%
NASDAQ	2,027.73	+3.30 or +0.16%	+28.58%
TSX Composite	10,933.96	+21.79 or +0.20%	+21.65%

International markets

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	Open	Change	YTD
Nikkei	10,492.53	-41.61 or -0.40%	+18.43%
Hang Seng	19,724.19	-374.43 or -1.86%	+37.09%
SENSEX	15,666.64	-255.70 or -1.61%	+62.39%
FTSE 100	4,908.90	+39.55 or +0.81%	+10.71%
CAC 40	3,664.49	-28.65 or -0.78%	+13.88%
DAX	5,471.38	-45.97 or -0.83%	+13.75%

Bonds

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Bonds	$Current	$Previous	%Yield
Cdn. 10-year bond	102.96	102.97	3.39
Cdn. 30-year bond	118.66	118.56	3.89
U.S. 10-year bond	101.34	101.59	3.43
U.S. 30-year bond	104.53	105.14	4.23

Currency

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BoC Open	Today	Previous
Canadian $	0.9054	0.9211
US $	1.1044	1.0856

Euro Spot Rate	Today	Previous
Canadian $	0.6319	0.6416
Euro	1.5827	1.5587

Commodities

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Gold	AM	PM
London Gold Fix ($US)	$ 950.75	$943.00

Oil	Open	Change
WTI Crude Future (US)	$70.78	-$1.96 or -2.69%

(08/31/09)