(There will be no Canada equities report on Dec. 25 and Dec. 26

on account of Christmas Day and Boxing Day, respectively;

Reuters will resume coverage on Dec. 27.)

Dec 24 (Reuters) - Futures tied to Canada's main stock

index rose on Tuesday, supported by crude prices, in the period

around the Christmas Day holiday that is historically beneficial

for equities.

March futures on the S&P/TSX index were up 0.18% at

6:19 a.m. ET (11:19 GMT).

Toronto markets will close at 1:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday on

account of a half-day Christmas holiday. Trading volumes are

expected to be light throughout the day.

In commodities, oil prices rose due to a slightly positive

market outlook for the short term.

Gold prices also gained in quiet holiday-period trading.

The composite index ended higher on Monday as the

seasonal optimism offset an uncertain outlook for the Canadian

economy and domestic political uncertainty.

The benchmark index is set to end 2024 with stellar gains,

having gained 18.1% so far this year, as it received support

from the policy easing cycles in Canada and the U.S.

In 2025, focus will particularly be on what Donald Trump

does after he takes power following his victory in the

presidential election in November, given his tariff threats to

Canada.

Additionally, political worries in Canada seemed to escalate

further as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, whose party looks set

to lose power early next year, is under pressure from his own

legislators to step down and let someone else take over.

Separately, the Bank of Canada's decision to opt for a hefty

50-basis-point rate-cut reflected a weaker outlook for growth

than its estimate in October, minutes released on Monday showed.

In corporate news, Canada's antitrust regulator said on

Monday it was suing Rogers Communications ( RCIAF ) for

allegedly misleading consumers about offering unlimited data

under some phone plans.

COMMODITIES

Gold: $2614.49; +0.06%

US crude: $69.85; +0.88%

Brent crude: $73.23; +0.83%

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($1 = 1.4399 Canadian dollars)