(Updates with morning prices)

By Twesha Dikshit and Sukriti Gupta

July 9 (Reuters) - Canada's main stock index inched up

on Wednesday, buoyed by real estate shares, with investors on

the lookout for trade and tariff updates.

Toronto's S&P/TSX index advanced 0.1% to 26,938.86

points, after falling for two straight days.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced steep

copper tariffs and threatened to slap levies on semiconductors

and pharmaceuticals, broadening the trade war that has affected

markets worldwide.

Trump also postponed the deadline for tariff deals to August

1.

Meanwhile, domestic government data showed that Canadian

companies have boosted trade with other allies, including

smaller markets, in a bid to minimize economic damage from U.S.

tariffs.

The announcements related to trade negotiations will

continue to "cause movements in the market in the short term,"

said Verecan Capital Management CEO and portfolio manager Colin

White.

"The information that's going to come up this month with

regards to jobs will be very instructive on what we can hope to

expect over the next couple of months."

Investors will closely assess key Canadian jobs data,

due on Friday, to gauge how the economy is holding up under

tariff-related pressures.

Technology shares rose 0.4% on Wednesday, while

healthcare shares added 0.7%.

Real estate stocks gained 0.5%, with H&R

rising 4.7% after the Globe and Mail reported that

asset manager Blackstone and U.S. equity funds were in talks to

buy the company's assets.

Conversely, energy shares fell 0.4%, while

mining shares were flat.

Copper prices dipped. Miners Ero Copper ( ERO ) and

Capstone Copper ( CSCCF ) declined 6.2% and 2.5%, respectively.

EQB rose 1.6% after the lender said former finance

head Chadwick Westlake will return as its CEO, just months after

he left to become the chief financial officer at software firm

OpenText. Shares of OpenText fell 4.8%.