(Updates with morning prices)

April 2 (Reuters) - Canada's main stock index was flat

on Wednesday in choppy trading ahead of U.S. President Donald

Trump's reciprocal tariff announcement, with investors fearing

significant ripple effects on global economic growth.

Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index

was down 0.03% at 25,025.74 points, after two straight sessions

of gains.

Trump, who has kept the world guessing on the details of the

levies plans for weeks, is set to announce sweeping reciprocal

tariffs on global trading partners at 1600 ET (2000 GMT), in

what the White House has dubbed "Liberation Day."

The tariffs, which will take effect immediately upon

announcement, are expected to trigger price increases, prompt

retaliatory measures from affected countries and disrupt decades

of established trade practices.

"We are heading into a very, uncertain period and it is

going to be a rough ride ... this is a day where people should

be already positioned in what they consider to be safer havens,"

said Michael Sprung, president at Sprung Investment Management.

Communication stocks led the declines on

Canada's benchmark index, down 0.8%.

Materials stocks declined for the second

straight session, down 0.6%, tracking

lower

copper prices.

Energy stocks fell 0.5%, as oil prices

extended losses on concerns that an escalating trade war could

dampen demand for crude.

Looking ahead, market participants will turn to Federal

Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's speech on Friday for insights on

the health of the U.S. economy and trajectory of interest rates.

Traders expect three rate cuts from the Fed this year,

although concerns about inflation driven by tariffs are adding

uncertainty to the

outlook

.

Among individual stocks, Blackberry fell 11.6% after

the cybersecurity firm forecast a revenue decline in fiscal 2026

as it anticipated weak spending on its cybersecurity products.