U.S. stock futures edged higher Wednesday, as crude-oil prices continued to slip.

Oil futures dropped US$1.99 to US$126.86 a barrel in electronic action. Gold futures losing US$16.50 an ounce.

In today’s economic news, Canada’s international travel deficit subsided in the first quarter of 2008, as a result of a significant drop in Canadian travel spending in the United States.

Statistics Canada said the deficit (the difference between spending by Canadian residents abroad and spending by foreigners in the country) fell to an estimated $3.1 billion in the first quarter, down $295 million from the record high set in the fourth quarter of 2007.

South of the border, demand for expensive goods fell during April, brought down by plunging aircraft orders.

Orders for durable goods retreated 0.5% last month to a seasonally adjusted US$214.42 billion, the U.S. Commerce Department said today.

Wall Street expected a bigger decrease in durable goods orders during April, with economists forecasting a 2.0% drop.

On today’s earnings calendar, TD Bank reports its second quarter results.

Overseas markets were mixed. Asian stocks ended mostly lower, while financial shares boosted European indexes.

Tokyo’s Nikkei index fell 1.3%, losing 183.87 points to 13,709.44.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index slipped 0.1%.

In Europe, the FTSE 100 index was up 0.4% near midday in London, rising 21 points to 6,079.5, while the German DAX advanced 1.1% and the Paris CAC-40 added 1.4%.

Toronto markets took a hit Tuesday amid falling oil prices and earnings from two of the country’s big banks that did nothing to cheer investors.

The S&P/TSX composite index closed down 236.44 points, or 1.6%, at 14,522.13, as nine of the 10 major TSX groups fell.

The financials group closed down 1.24%, as a week of quarterly bank earnings reports began.

Bank of Montreal shares closed down $1.24, or 2.53%, to close at $47.76, after it reported second quarter profits fell 4.5%, to $642 million from $671 million for the same period last year, mainly as a result of a drop in profits from the capital markets group.

Meanwhile, Bank of Nova Scotia shares fell 55¢, or 1.14%, to end at $47.65, after it reported second quarter earnings fell 6%, to $980 million from $1 billion in the same quarter last year.

BMO left its dividend unchanged, while Scotiabank increased its by 2¢, to 49¢ per common share.

The junior S&P/TSX Venture composite index fell 68.25 points, or 2.51%, at 2,650.50.

In New York, markets regained some of the days earlier losses in afternoon trading despite weak housing and consumer sentiment data.

The Dow Jones industrial average closed up 68.72 points, or 0.55%, at 12,548.35.

The S&P 500 closed up 9.42 points, or 0.68%, to close at 1385.35.

The tech-heavy Nasdaq composite index climbed 36.57 points, or 1.5%, to close at 2,481.24.