The U.S. markets should open a bit higher today, but an absence of economic data and earnings reports means there is little reason for any broad price movements.

The C$, meanwhile, opened in North America at parity with the US$, right down to the smallest fraction. One C$ equalled exactly one US$.

The C$, which closed Thursday at 99.87 cents US, has not been at par with the US$ since Nov. 25, 1976.

Futures prices were a bit higher today for the Dow Jones industrial average, S&P 500 and the Nasdaq 100.

World oil prices stepped back from record highs on some profit taking. Oil lost 36 cents US a barrel to US$81.44 in pre-opening trading in New York.

There was good news for gold bugs, as bullion hit a 28-year high in London. Spot gold prices reached US$739 an ounce, the highest level since January 1980.

On the international markets, Britain’s FTSE 100 added 0.5%, Germany’s Dax gained 0.3% and France’s CAC-40 edged up 0.1%.

Japan’s Nikkei 225 shed 0.6% and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index rose 0.6%.