Sept 11 Reuters Futures tied to Canada39;s main stock index were muted on Wednesday as investor caution ahead of U.S. inflation data overshadowed gains in crude prices.

September futures on the SPTSX index were flat at 0.0 at 611 a.m. ET 1011 GMT.

The U.S. Labor Department39;s consumer price index CPI data, due at 830 a.m. ET, is expected to show inflation rose 0.2 on a monthly basis in August.

The U.S. CPI data could influence the magnitude and pace of interestrate cuts by the Federal Reserve in the policy meeting on Sept. 18.

Although there is an uncertainty about the size of the reduction, markets see a 69 chance of a 25basispoint cut.

Meanwhile, global markets also reacted to the U.S. presidential debate on Tuesday, where Democrat Kamala Harris put Republican Donald Trump on a defensive.

The debate also perked up the odds of Harris39; victory in the upcoming presidential elections.

Back home, the TSX composite index ended lower on Tuesday as a drop in oil prices weighed on energy shares.

However, the energy sector was set for a positive start on Wednesday, with oil prices up on a drop in U.S. crude inventories and concern about Hurricane Francine disrupting output in the United States.

Materials shares also gathered optimism as gold and copper prices edged higher against a softer dollar.

In corporate news, Suntory Holdings CEO Takeshi Niinami said in a Reuters NEXT Newsmaker interview that Seven i responded fairly by rejecting Alimentation CoucheTard39;s 39…