Futures Pause Thursday After Record Session

Futures tied to Canada's main stock index were flat on Thursday as investors paused after the index logged another record closing high in the previous session, and awaited key U.S. inflation data expected to influence the Federal Reserve's monetary policy.The TSX Composite Index jumped 116.38 points to close Wednesday at 29,179.39.The Canadian dollar backed off 0.11 cents to 72.04 cents U.S. Futures were up 0.1% Thursday. The benchmark index notched another record high on Wednesday as higher commodity prices boosted resource shares, a day after the announcement of the second-largest M&A deal ever in the mining sector.The $53-billion merger announced on Tuesday between London-listed miner Anglo American and Teck Resources marks a breakthrough after years of failed consolidation efforts in the mining sector, helping keep markets near record highs since the deal was unveiled.In corporate news, Barrick Mining said on Wednesday it will sell its Hemlo gold mine in Ontario, its last producing gold mine in its home country Canada, to Carcetti Capital for up to $1.09 billion.ON BAYSTREET The TSX Venture Exchange subtracted 6.31 points Wednesday to 867.53ON WALLSTREET S&P 500 futures were little changed Thursday, following another day of record highs, as Wall Street awaited a key consumer inflation gauge.Futures for the Dow Jones Industrials gained 95 points, or 0.2%, to 45,635Futures for the much-broader index added 13.25 points, or 0.2%, at 6,553.Futures for the NASDAQ popped 66.5 points, or 0.3%, to 23,944.50. The latest consumer price index reading is due at 8:30 a.m. ET. Economists polled by Dow Jones are expecting the index to rise 0.3% on the month for an annual gain of 2.9%. Excluding volatile food and energy, the so-called core CPI is slated to increase 0.3% from July and 3.1% year over year.That comes after the producer price index showed an unexpected decline of 0.1% on the month. The PPI rose 2.6% on a 12-month basis.Thursday’s action follows a second straight finish at all-time closing highs for the S&P 500, fueled by Oracle’s monster rally. The NASDAQ Composite finished marginally above its flatline, while the Dow lost more than 200 points.Investors cheered Oracle’s growth outlook for its cloud business. Shares of the stock surged about 36% in the session, marking its best day since 1992 and adding $244 billion in market cap.Traders also saw it as a positive indicator for the artificial intelligence trade at large. AI-related stocks such as Broadcom, AMD and Micron also rallied, offering a bright spot for investors in an otherwise weak day.In Japan, the Nikkei 225 leaped 1.2% to a new record high Thursday, while in Hong Kong, the Hang Seng shed 0.4%. Oil prices slid 53 cents to $63.74 U.S. a barrel. Gold prices shed $24.30 at $3,657.70 U.S. per ounce.