A.M. market numbers for January 21, 2010

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

The Toronto stock market could start Friday lower as commodity prices pull back and investors take in better than expected earnings from General Electric and Google.

The Canadian dollar was down 0.29 of a cent to 94.82 cents US early Friday morning.

U.S. futures were mostly flat as Wall Street tries to find footing sustaining a steep loss Thursday. Dow Jones industrial average futures are down 10 points at 10,328. The blue chip index tumbled 213 points Thursday after President Barack Obama unveiled plans for limits on how large big banks can be and to end some of the risky trading large financial companies have used in recent quarters to boost profits.

The main TSX index fell 210 points as indications of further lending tightening by China depressed commodity prices and Canadian financials fell back following Obama’s announcement.

The Nasdaq futures were up 3.50 points at 1,844.50. The S&P 500 futures were down 0.80 of a point at 1,110.30.

Energy stocks could weaken on the TSX as the March crude contract on the New York Mercantile Exchange dipped 30 cents to US$75.78 a barrel.

Gold prices fell with the February bullion contract on the Nymex down $10.30 to US$1,092.90 while copper prices were unchanged at US$3.29 a pound.

General Electric Co. reported fourth-quarter profit that beat analyst expectations. The conglomerate also said it is seeing an increase in orders and a growing backlog for products and services, sure signs that the economy is starting to improve.

Internet giant Google Inc. also provided an upbeat sign for the economy, posting robust fourth-quarter earnings that easily topped analyst estimates. The results were driven by a pickup in Internet advertising, which could be a sign companies are feeling more confident the economy will recovery and opting to spend more to draw in customers.

Credit card lender American Express Co. also beat expectations after it set aside less money for defaulting loans. Default and delinquency rates both fell from the previous quarter, another encouraging sign for the economy.

High loan losses have plagued the financial sector and any declines in defaults would be a welcome sign that the consumer is starting to recover.

In other corporate news, Premium Brands Holdings Corp. says it has acquired Vancouver-based South Seas Meats Ltd., a distributor of Halal specialty meats that will help expand Premium’s portfolio of ethnic foods.

Enbridge Inc. said Thursday that its Alberta Clipper crude oil pipeline from Alberta to Wisconsin is set to come into service on April 1, months ahead of schedule.

Asian stock markets tumbled Friday following Obama’s proposed sweeping overhaul of Wall Street banks.

Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 stock average dropped 2.6 per cent while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng dropped 0.7 per cent.

London’s FTSE 100 fell 1.03 per cent, Frankfurt’s DAX lost 0.96 per cent and the Paris CAC 40 moved down 0.8 per cent.

(The Canadian Press)

North American markets

Back to Top

	Open	Change	2009 Full Year
Dow Jones	10,389.88	-213.27 or -2.01%	-0.37%
S&P 500	1,116.48	-21.56 or -1.89%	+0.12%
NASDAQ	2,265.70	-25.55 or -1.12%	-0.15%
TSX Composite	11,469.10	-210.22 or -1.80%	-2.36%

International markets

Back to Top

	Open	Change	YTD
Nikkei	10,590.55	-277.86 or -2.56%	+0.42%
Hang Seng	20,726.18	-136.49 or -0.65%	-5.24%
SENSEX	16,859.68	-191.46 or -1.12%	-3.46%
FTSE 100	5,280.82	-54.28 or -1.02%	-2.44%
CAC 40	3,823.01	-39.15 or -1.01%	-2.88%
DAX	5,691.31	-55.66 or -0.97%	-4.47%

Bonds

Back to Top

Bonds	$Current	$Previous	%Yield
Cdn. 10-year bond	102.63	102.63	3.42
Cdn. 30-year bond	116.32	116.32	4.01
U.S. 10-year bond	97.97	98.14	3.62
U.S. 30-year bond	97.64	98.02	4.52

Currency

Back to Top

BoC Close	Today	Previous
Canadian $	0.9509	0.9511
US $	1.0516	1.0514

Euro Spot Rate	Today	Previous
Canadian $	0.6709	0.6749
Euro	1.4905	1.4816

Commodities

Back to Top

Gold	AM	PM
London Gold Fix ($US)	$1,104.00	$1,108.25

Oil	Open	Change
WTI Crude Future (US)	$75.61	-$0.47 or -0.62%

(01/22/10)