March 14 (Reuters) - Futures tied to Canada's main stock

index jumped on Friday, but the benchmark index was on track for

a sharp weekly fall as the escalating trade war with the United

States sparked concerns of an economic slowdown.

March futures on the S&P/TSX index were up 0.6% at

6:48 a.m. ET (1048 GMT).

The TSX's composite index fell to a

four-and-a-half-month low on Thursday and is down 2.2% for the

week.

Ex-central banker Mark Carney will be formally sworn in as

prime minister of Canada on Friday, putting him in a position to

fight tariffs from U.S. President Donald Trump that could

devastate the trade-dependent Canadian economy.

Trump's erratic tariff onslaught, along with retaliation

from Canada and the European Union, have strained global trade

relations and raised concerns about a potential economic

recession in the U.S. and Canada.

The Bank of Canada, when it delivered a quarter-point

interest rate cut on Wednesday, also warned of "a new crisis" as

it tried to prepare the domestic economy for the damage that

tariffs could wreak.

In commodities, gold rose above $3,000/ounce on Friday,

hitting a record high, propelled by trade war fears and

potential U.S. Federal Reserve rate cuts.

The bullion, a preferred asset by investors during

geopolitical and economic downturns, has scaled 13 all-time

highs so far this year.

Oil prices rebounded after sharp declines in the previous

session, partly due to the diminishing prospects of a quick end

to the Ukraine war, which could impact the return of Russian

energy supplies.

In corporate news, distributor of architectural building

products Adentra ( HDIUF ) on Thursday missed the fourth-quarter

sales estimate and highlighted a slight decline in annual sales.

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($1 = 1.4417 Canadian dollars)