* TSX futures down 0.2%
* Oil and gold prices slip
June 5 (Reuters) - Futures tracking Canada's blue-chip
stocks edged lower on Friday as uncertainty over peace efforts
in the Middle East weighed, while investors awaited a key
payrolls report due later in the day.
June futures on the S&P/TSX index were down 0.2% at
6:54 a.m. ET (1054 GMT).
* Iran-backed Hezbollah militia rejected a new Lebanon
ceasefire on Thursday while Israel said it would not withdraw
troops, undermining U.S. President Donald Trump's efforts to
halt fighting there and forge peace with Tehran.
* Brent crude prices were at $95 a barrel and looked set to
end the week higher, as chances for a diplomatic resolution
between the U.S. and Iran looked slim.
* Spot gold and silver fell 0.1% and 1.3%,
respectively, on fears of higher inflation and elevated interest
rates.
* Canada's benchmark S&P/TSX Composite Index
reached a record high on Thursday, led by financial and metal
mining shares, as U.S. efforts for a Middle East peace deal
bolstered investor sentiment.
* The index was also on track for its third straight weekly
gain, despite volatility in commodities due to the war and
persistent fears of inflation and higher interest rates.
* Canadian employment data, due today at 8:30 a.m. ET, is
expected to show the economy adding 10,000 jobs last month and
the unemployment rate holding steady at 6.9%, its highest level
since October.
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(Reporting by Tharuniyaa Lakshmi in Bengaluru; Editing by
Joyjeet Das)