CANADA STOCKS-TSX futures flat as investors monitor impact of Mideast conflict

March 17 (Reuters) - Futures linked to Canada's benchmark index were muted on Tuesday, as inflation concerns due to the Middle East conflict weighed on sentiment, while an uptick in energy and mining stocks limited losses.

March futures on the S&P/TSX composite index SXFcv1 were down 0.1% as of 05:58 a.m. ET, while futures tracking Wall Street's main indexes ticked lower. .N

Oil prices rose 4% as fresh attacks by Iran on the United Arab Emirates rekindled supply fears amid continued shipping disruptions through the crucial Strait of Hormuz. U.S. allies refused President Donald Trump's Monday appeal to dispatch warships to the waterway, a critical gateway for one-fifth of the world's oil and LNG trade. O/R

The spike in crude prices has revived concerns of global inflation, with central banks now reassessing their monetary policy. Canada, however, is expected to be relatively more insulted to the recent energy shocks than peers as it is a net oil exporter.

With inflation fears mounting, and the war complicating rate-cut expectations, markets will closely monitor the U.S. Federal Reserve's two-day meeting, which kicks off on Tuesday, along with signals from the Bank of Canada.

Meanwhile, prices of precious metals also edged higher on Tuesday, putting the limelight on the materials sector .GSPTTMT, which includes stocks of miners.

On Monday, the TSX clocked its biggest one-day gain since the conflict began, as a retreat in oil prices lifted sentiment across sectors with energy stocks closing at their highest since September 2008.

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