CANADA STOCKS-TSX futures dip as investors weigh new US-Venezuela developments, key data in focus

Jan 7 (Reuters) - Futures linked to Canada's main stock index inched lower on Wednesday, after two consecutive sessions of record highs, as investors assessed new U.S.-Venezuela developments and awaited key economic data releases.

March futures on Toronto's S&P/TSX Composite index SXFcv1 slipped 0.1% as of 06:19 a.m. ET.

The benchmark .GSPTSE closed at a record high for the second day in a row on Tuesday, as rising precious metal prices boosted shares of miners.

But spot gold XAU= declined 0.8% on Wednesday, while silver prices XAG= dropped 2.4%. GOL/

Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to import up to $2 billion worth of Venezuelan crude raised prospects of additional supply, pushing Brent crude futures LCOc1 down 0.6%.

A boost in Venezuelan exports could hurt Canadian companies that sell a similar heavy oil, but the country's Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Tuesday that Canadian crude is low-risk and will stay competitive even if Venezuelan supply rises.

On the macro front, investors await the Ivey Purchasing Managers' Index, due Wednesday morning, for a snapshot of business conditions in January, while keenly eyeing U.S. and Canadian jobs data releases due on Friday.

Data from the Toronto Regional Real Estate Board also showed home sales in the Greater Toronto Area falling for a third straight month in December, with prices declining as economic uncertainty kept homebuyers on the sidelines.

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