- The Canadian Dollar spent Thursday mostly hung in place on the charts before catching a moderate bid.
- Canada Raw Materials and Industrial Product Price beat expectations, but the market is focused elsewhere.
- Fed Chair Jerome Powell notes that policy is restrictive, but more could be needed, dropping the USD.
The Canadian Dollar (CAD) is catching a late break against the US Dollar (USD) as the Greenback recedes, walking back some of yesterday’s declines that saw the Loonie drop to its lowest prices against the USD since the start of October.
Canada Industrial Product Prices and Raw Materials Price Index numbers for September both beat expectations, but the low-impact data did little to push the CAD into deeper moves with most of the market focused on Federal Reserve (Fed) Chairman Jerome Powell giving a speech to the Economic Club of New York.
Daily Digest Market Movers: Canadian Dollar tunnels sideways, sees some late moves in post-Powell bid
- CAD mostly sticks to the day’s opening prices after testing the water in both directions.
- Canadian economic data is strictly low-impact for the day, leaving traders focused on external drivers.
- Speech from Fed Chair Powell saw an uptick in intraday volatility in USD-based FX pairs, but moves remain limited.
- USD/CAD is having difficulty extending moves beyond 1.3700 as Loonie hangs on firm.
- Crude Oil seeing minor uptick for Thursday, providing limited support for CAD.
- Fed Chair Powell notes that "Inflation is still too high”, and the labor market remains tight, but shows signs of cooling off.
- A softening USD bid is giving the CAD a chance to flip the day into the green.
- CAD traders to look ahead to Canadian Retail Sales on Friday.
- Jerome Powell says higher bond yields are producing tighter financial conditions
- Forex Today: Dollar slides after Fed’s Powell, Gold breaks above $1,970
Technical Analysis: USD/CAD tests the water beneath 1.3700 post-Fed appearance
The USD/CAD saw a late break beneath 1.3700 with intraday action getting pushed into the 50-hour Simple Moving Average (SMA) near 1.3680, with the 50% retracement level of yesterday’s bottom-to-top moves sitting at that price. A thin rebound for the pair sees the USD/CAD sifting chart paper near 1.3720 as Thursday winds up trading.
Momentum on the daily candlesticks continues to find support from a rising trendline originating from 1.3100, in conjunction with a bullish-leaning 50-day SMA driving into 1.3575 and building a technical support floor to catch any downside extensions in the USD/CAD.
The pair continues to test the boundaries of a descending trendline drawn from 2020’s extreme peaks of 1.4668, and upside momentum could get constrained moving forward as the near-term uptrend runs against long-term resistance.
US Dollar price today
The table below shows the percentage change of US Dollar (USD) against listed major currencies today. US Dollar was the weakest against the Swiss Franc.
| USD | EUR | GBP | CAD | AUD | JPY | NZD | CHF | |
| USD | -0.42% | -0.02% | 0.08% | 0.03% | 0.01% | 0.09% | -0.82% | |
| EUR | 0.43% | 0.31% | 0.47% | 0.45% | 0.43% | 0.49% | -0.39% | |
| GBP | 0.02% | -0.40% | 0.10% | 0.07% | 0.04% | 0.11% | -0.80% | |
| CAD | -0.07% | -0.50% | -0.10% | -0.08% | -0.03% | 0.04% | -0.89% | |
| AUD | -0.02% | -0.44% | -0.04% | 0.07% | -0.02% | 0.06% | -0.85% | |
| JPY | 0.00% | -0.46% | -0.06% | 0.05% | 0.02% | 0.07% | -0.85% | |
| NZD | -0.09% | -0.52% | -0.15% | -0.02% | -0.06% | -0.05% | -0.92% | |
| CHF | 0.79% | 0.37% | 0.78% | 0.87% | 0.80% | 0.80% | 0.88% |
The heat map shows percentage changes of major currencies against each other. The base currency is picked from the left column, while the quote currency is picked from the top row. For example, if you pick the Euro from the left column and move along the horizontal line to the Japanese Yen, the percentage change displayed in the box will represent EUR (base)/JPY (quote).
Canadian Dollar FAQs
What key factors drive the Canadian Dollar?
The key factors driving the Canadian Dollar (CAD) are the level of interest rates set by the Bank of Canada (BoC), the price of Oil, Canada’s largest export, the health of its economy, inflation and the Trade Balance, which is the difference between the value of Canada’s exports versus its imports. Other factors include market sentiment – whether investors are taking on more risky assets (risk-on) or seeking safe-havens (risk-off) – with risk-on being CAD-positive. As its largest trading partner, the health of the US economy is also a key factor influencing the Canadian Dollar.
How do the decisions of the Bank of Canada impact the Canadian Dollar?
The Bank of Canada (BoC) has a significant influence on the Canadian Dollar by setting the level of interest rates that banks can lend to one another. This influences the level of interest rates for everyone. The main goal of the BoC is to maintain inflation at 1-3% by adjusting interest rates up or down. Relatively higher interest rates tend to be positive for the CAD. The Bank of Canada can also use quantitative easing and tightening to influence credit conditions, with the former CAD-negative and the latter CAD-positive.
How does the price of Oil impact the Canadian Dollar?
The price of Oil is a key factor impacting the value of the Canadian Dollar. Petroleum is Canada’s biggest export, so Oil price tends to have an immediate impact on the CAD value. Generally, if Oil price rises CAD also goes up, as aggregate demand for the currency increases. The opposite is the case if the price of Oil falls. Higher Oil prices also tend to result in a greater likelihood of a positive Trade Balance, which is also supportive of the CAD.
How does inflation data impact the value of the Canadian Dollar?
While inflation had always traditionally been thought of as a negative factor for a currency since it lowers the value of money, the opposite has actually been the case in modern times with the relaxation of cross-border capital controls. Higher inflation tends to lead central banks to put up interest rates which attracts more capital inflows from global investors seeking a lucrative place to keep their money. This increases demand for the local currency, which in Canada’s case is the Canadian Dollar.
How does economic data influence the value of the Canadian Dollar?
Macroeconomic data releases gauge the health of the economy and can have an impact on the Canadian Dollar. Indicators such as GDP, Manufacturing and Services PMIs, employment, and consumer sentiment surveys can all influence the direction of the CAD. A strong economy is good for the Canadian Dollar. Not only does it attract more foreign investment but it may encourage the Bank of Canada to put up interest rates, leading to a stronger currency. If economic data is weak, however, the CAD is likely to fall.
Information on these pages contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Markets and instruments profiled on this page are for informational purposes only and should not in any way come across as a recommendation to buy or sell in these assets. You should do your own thorough research before making any investment decisions. FXStreet does not in any way guarantee that this information is free from mistakes, errors, or material misstatements. It also does not guarantee that this information is of a timely nature. Investing in Open Markets involves a great deal of risk, including the loss of all or a portion of your investment, as well as emotional distress. All risks, losses and costs associated with investing, including total loss of principal, are your responsibility. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of FXStreet nor its advertisers. The author will not be held responsible for information that is found at the end of links posted on this page.
If not otherwise explicitly mentioned in the body of the article, at the time of writing, the author has no position in any stock mentioned in this article and no business relationship with any company mentioned. The author has not received compensation for writing this article, other than from FXStreet.
FXStreet and the author do not provide personalized recommendations. The author makes no representations as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability of this information. FXStreet and the author will not be liable for any errors, omissions or any losses, injuries or damages arising from this information and its display or use. Errors and omissions excepted.
The author and FXStreet are not registered investment advisors and nothing in this article is intended to be investment advice.
Recommended content
Editors’ Picks
EUR/USD holds near 1.1100, looks to post small weekly gains
EUR/USD trades near 1.1100 in the American session on Friday. Although the risk-averse market atmosphere caps the pair's upside, dovish comments from Fed officials and the disappointing US jobs report help it hold its ground.
GBP/USD retreats to 1.3150 area after post-NFP spike
GBP/USD turns south and declines to 1.3150 area after spiking to 1.3240 in the early American session. The negative shift seen in risk mood following the US labor market data for August helps the US Dollar stay resilient against its peers and weighs on the pair.
Gold pulls away from near record highs, holds above $2,500
Gold came within a touching distance of a new all-time high near $2,530 as US Treasury bond yields turned south on disappointing US jobs data. The US Dollar's resilience amid a souring risk mood, however, caused XAU/USD to erase its daily gains.
Crypto today: Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP tests key support, TRON network non-stablecoin activity hits new highs
Bitcoin, Ethereum, and XRP hover around key support levels after registering a steep correction earlier this week. TRON network’s stablecoin activity hit new highs following the release of SunPump.
Nonfarm Payrolls expected to show modest hiring rebound in August after July’s tepid report
The Nonfarm Payrolls report is forecast to show that the US economy added 160,000 jobs in August, after creating 114,000 in July. The Unemployment Rate is likely to dip to 4.2% in the same period from July’s 4.3% reading.
Moneta Markets review 2024: All you need to know
VERIFIED In this review, the FXStreet team provides an independent and thorough analysis based on direct testing and real experiences with Moneta Markets – an excellent broker for novice to intermediate forex traders who want to broaden their knowledge base.