July 18 (Reuters) - Futures linked to Canada's main

stock index were subdued on Thursday as weak crude prices

countered gains in metal prices.

The S&P/TSX 60 futures were down 0.04% as of 06:30

a.m. ET (1030 GMT).

Meanwhile, Wall Street futures rose as Taiwan Semiconductor

Manufacturing (TSMC) posted an upbeat forecast and results, a

day after a selloff in U.S. chip stocks dragged the benchmark

indexes down.

Markets will focus on U.S. weekly jobless claims data,

expected at 8:30 a.m. ET, and comments from Federal Reserve

officials Michelle Bowman, Lorie Logan and Mary Daly later in

the day.

Inflation is on a downward trend in the United States, per

its central bank, and markets are speculating a cut in borrowing

costs as soon as September.

Canada's material sector was set to log gains as soaring

U.S. rate-cut anticipation kept gold prices near a record

high scaled in the previous session.

The energy sector is expected to stay in focus, with oil

prices down. Meanwhile, investors took profits from earlier

gains fueled by larger-than-expected declines in U.S. crude

stocks.

Soft inflation numbers, higher unemployment in June, and GDP

figures for April, have helped build a stronger case for an

interest-rate cut in Canada.

Market participants expect an 82% chance of the Bank of

Canada trimming the rates in next week's policy meeting.

In corporate news, Canadian holding company Dundee

Corporation ( DDEJF ) announced the acquisition of 9.76 million

common shares of Greenheart Gold.

COMMODITIES

Gold: $2,463.89; +0.22%

US crude: $82.88; +0.0%

Brent crude: $85.01; -0.1%

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($1 = 1.3676 Canadian dollars)