April 1 (Reuters) - Canada's main stock index looked set to kick off the quarter on a positive note on Tuesday after U.S. Fed Chair Janet Yellen's dovish comments eased concerns about a rate hike coming earlier than expected.
June futures on the S&P TSX index were up 0.27 percent at 0715 ET.
Producer prices and raw materials prices data for February are due at 0830 ET.
Shares ended higher on Monday after the U.S. Federal Reserve's assurance of continued support for the economy lifted sentiment and helped drive up shares of financial and energy companies.
Dow Jones Industrial Average futures were up 0.23 percent, S&P 500 futures were up 0.20 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures were up 0.24 percent at 0715 ET.
(Morning News Call newsletter http://link.reuters.com/nex49s; The Day Ahead newsletter http://link.reuters.com/mex49s)
TOP STORIES
Kinross Gold Corp released a feasibility study for its Tasiast gold mine expansion on Monday with a lower-than-previously-estimated capital cost, but said it does not plan to make a final decision on the project until 2015 at the earliest.
Workers at Toyota Motor Corp's Canadian plants are set to vote next week on whether to become the first at wholly owned Toyota facilities in North America to unionize, a push Canada's biggest private-sector union is confident will succeed.
Encana Corp said on Monday it was selling its properties in Wyoming's Jonah natural gas field to an arm of private equity firm TPG Capital for $1.8 billion as part of a plan to shed assets and concentrate its operations.
COMMODITIES AT 0715 ET
Gold futures : $1,284.40; +0.08 pct
US crude : $101.21; -0.36 pct
Brent crude : $107.48; -0.26 pct
LME 3-month copper : $6,640.00; -0.08 pct
ANALYST RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS
Boralex Inc : National Bank Financial removes from Action List
Western Lithium USA : Dundee Capital starts with buy rating
WSP Global Inc : CIBC raises target price to C$40 from C$38
U.S. ECONOMIC DATA DUE ON TUESDAY
0745 ICSC Chain Stores ww for w/e: Prior -1.5 pct
0745 ICSC Chain Stores yy for w/e: Prior +1.7 pct
0855 Redbook mm for w/e: Prior -0.4 pct
0855 Redbook yy for w/e: Prior +3.1 pct
0945 Markit Manufacturing PMI Final Mar: Prior 55.5
1000 Construction Spending mm Feb: Expected +0.0 pct Prior +0.1
1000 IBD Economic Optimism Apr: Prior 45.1
1000 ISM Manufacturing PMI Mar: Expected 54.0 Prior 53.2
1000 ISM Manufacturing Prices Paid Mar: Expected 60.0 Prior 60.0
1000 ISM Manufacturing Employment Index Mar: Expected 52.8 Prior 52.3
1000 ISM Manufacturing New Orders Index Mar: Prior 54.5
1030 Texas Services Sector Outlook Mar: Prior 6.8
1030 Dallas Fed Services Revenue Mar: Prior 9.8
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($1= $1.11 Canadian) (Reporting by Ayesha Sruti Ahmed in Bangalore; Editing by Saumyadeb Chakrabarty)