BEFORE THE BELL

🟢Futures tied to Canada's main stock index were little changed as investors adopted a cautious stance ahead of domestic jobs data that could offer clues on the prospects for additional interest rate cuts by the Bank of Canada. The employment report for September, due later today, is expected to show the economy added 5,000 jobs and the unemployment rate rose to 7.2%.

🟢U.S. stock index futures were also largely flat as investors awaited the University of Michigan’s consumer sentiment data, which could carry added significance amid an official data blackout. The reading is expected to offer fresh insight into the economic outlook ahead of the third-quarter earnings season.

🟢Meanwhile, geopolitical developments in the Middle East added a layer of complexity, with Israeli troops beginning to withdraw from parts of Gaza under a ceasefire deal with Hamas.

🟢The easing tensions in the Middle East helped push oil prices lower, as the market’s risk premium faded.

🟢Gold was on track for its eighth straight weekly gain, supported by ongoing political and economic uncertainty and expectations of further U.S. rate cuts.

🟢Silver hovered near record highs.

🟢The dollar index was headed for a weekly rise of 1.7%, its biggest in a year.

🟢In Europe, shares were subdued but still on course for a third consecutive weekly gain, with attention turning to French politics ahead of President Macron’s expected announcement of a new prime minister.

🟢 In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei slipped as investors booked profits ahead of a long weekend, while political instability rattled bonds and the yen.

🟢Chinese stocks pulled back from a decade high, and Hong Kong shares extended their losing streak, weighed down by fresh geopolitical tensions and profit-taking.