A.M. market numbers: November 13, 2009

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

The Toronto stock market could be in for a weak open Friday as investors take in data showing that the eurozone exited recession in the third quarter, although the recovery in France and Germany was slower than most analysts expected.

New York futures pointed to a slightly higher open ahead of some key economic data. The Dow industrial futures rose 11 points to 10,200, the Nasdaq futures climbed 3.25 points to 1,777 and the S&P 500 futures added 2.1 points to 1,089.

The Canadian dollar was ahead 0.26 of a cent to 94.95 cents US.

The December crude contract on New York was down 12 cents to US$76.82 a barrel. Crude slid more than US$2 — and helped sent the TSX down 79 points Thursday — after data showed higher than expected oil gasoline inventories in the U.S., in turn raising concerns about the strength of a recovery.

The December gold contract on the Nymex slipped 50 cents to US$1,106.10 an ounce, losing US$8 on Thursday following a string of record high closes. December copper was unchanged at US$2.95 a pound.

During the morning, investors will get data on how much demand for U.S. goods and services has picked up when the government releases its report on the U.S. trade deficit. Economists expect the trade deficit to have widened in September, after unexpectedly dipping in August.

Analysts think the trade data will help drive the U.S. dollar during the session.

The greenback has had a strong pull over financial markets. The dollar’s steady decline since March, spurred by record-low interest rates, has encouraged investors to move their money out of the dollar and into higher-yielding assets like stocks and commodities. A weak dollar makes U.S. exports and dollar-denominated commodities cheaper for foreign buyers, which should help boost corporate profits down the line.

Investors will also take in Canadian trade data or September and U.S. consumer confidence data during Friday’s session.

Official figures Friday showed the eurozone’s economy grew by 0.4% in the third quarter.

Germany and France continued their economic recovery in the third quarter on a rise in exports, after technically emerging from recession in the previous three months. Germany’s growth accelerated to 0.7% — just short of economists’ forecast of 0.8%. The preliminary estimate was still the strongest since the first quarter of 2008.

France’s growth remained at 0.3%, the same as in the second quarter

In earnings news, Uranium One Inc. says a drop in volumes sold and lower uranium prices resulted in a 62% decline in revenue to US$21.3 million. The drop in revenue came amid a 50% slide in volumes sold and lower average uranium prices.

The company reported a net loss of $11.9 million against a year ago net loss of $2 billion, mostly as a result of writedowns of the value of several projects.

Montreal toymaker Mega Brands Inc. has reported a $72-million profit for the third quarter. That’s a vast improvement over the $122.1-million loss that Mega Brand had a year earlier as a result of lingering problems from a line of magnetic toys.

The Walt Disney Co. posted a surprise 18% increase in fourth-quarter earnings. Net income for the entire company rose to US$895 million, as revenue at its cable, broadcast and movie studio units rose, more than offsetting declines at its parks and consumer products units. Overall revenue rose 4% to US$9.87 billion in the fiscal fourth quarter.

In other corporate news, Suncor Energy Inc. says it is budgeting $5.5 billion for capital spending in 2010, with about one-quarter of the money going to growth projects, including the Firebag oil sands project in northern Alberta. Stage 3 of the Firebag project was half complete when it was deferred earlier this year.

Overseas, London’s FTSE 100 ticked 0.07% higher, Frankfurt’s DAX added 0.05% while the Paris CAC 40 slipped 0.42%.

Asian markets closed mixed amid investor uncertainty about the global outlook after Wall Street fell Thursday on weak energy demand.

Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 fell 0.4%, China’s benchmark Shanghai Composite Index added 0.5% and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng recouped its early losses to gain 0.7%.

(The Canadian Press)

North American markets (previous close)

Back to Top

Dow Jones	10,197.47	-93.79 or -0.91%	+16.19%
S&P 500	1,087.24	-11.27 or -1.03%	+20.37%
NASDAQ	2,149.02	-17.88 or -0.83%	+36.27%
TSX Composite	11,360.76	-78.99 or -0.69%	+26.40%

International markets

Back to Top

	Open	Change	YTD
Nikkei	9,770.31	-34.18 or -0.35%	+10.28%
Hang Seng	22,553.63	+156.06 or +0.70%	+56.76%
SENSEX	16,848.83	+152.80 or +0.92%	+74.65%
FTSE 100	5,275.02	-1.48 or -0.03%	+18.96%
CAC 40	3,784.08	-23.99 or -0.63%	+17.59%
DAX	5,649.28	-14.68 or -0.26%	+17.44%

Bonds

Back to Top

Bonds	$Current	$Previous	%Yield
Cdn. 10-year bond	102.03	102.13	3.50
Cdn. 30-year bond	116.30	116.55	4.02
U.S. 10-year bond	99.38	99.19	3.45
U.S. 30-year bond	99.75	101.69	4.39

Currency

Back to Top

BoC Close	Today	Previous
Canadian $	0.9495	0.9535
US $	1.0531	1.0488

Euro Spot Rate	Today	Previous
Canadian $	0.6389	0.6387
Euro	1.5652	1.5657

Commodities

Back to Top

Gold	AM	PM
London Gold Fix ($US)	$1,107.50	$1,116.00

Oil	Open	Change
WTI Crude Future (US)	$76.89	-$0.05 or -0.06%

(11/13/09)