April 16 (Reuters) - Futures for Canada's main stock index were subdued on Wednesday ahead of the Bank of Canada's policy decision due later in the day while investors also assessed shifting U.S. tariff policies.
June futures on the S&P/TSX index were up 0.01% at 6.27 a.m. ET (1027 GMT).
Bank of Canada's rate decision is scheduled for 9.45 a.m. ET, with markets forecasting a 57% chance the bank will pause after seven consecutive rate cuts.
Trader bets and economists' expectations between a cut and a pause have changed several times in the last few weeks as U.S. President Donald Trump has seesawed between imposing and withdrawing tariffs.
Wall Street futures dropped on Wednesday as AI darling Nvidia (NVDA.O), took a hit from U.S. restrictions on chip sales to China, fuelling worries about the fallout of an escalating trade war.
Separately, Trump ordered a probe into potential new tariffs on all U.S. critical minerals imports, on top of reviews into pharmaceutical and chip imports.
The uncertainties led safe-haven gold to another record high of $3,318 per ounce.
Oil prices also edged higher in the day.
Copper prices fell on escalating trade tensions, which overshadowed upbeat data from the world's top metals consumer China.
In corporate news, Parkland (PKI.TO), said Bob Espey will step down as president and Chief Executive Officer of the oil and gas firm.
The Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index (.GSPTSE), rose on Tuesday to a 12-day high, as inflation cooled and investors weighed whether much of the bad news from a global trade war has already been priced into the market.
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Reporting by Ragini Mathur in Bengaluru; Editing by Sahal Muhammed
