TORONTO: The Canadian dollar was marginally stronger against its US counterpart on Monday, tracking positive market sentiment following Friday's surprising US monthly jobs report.
The benchmark S&P 500 index edged up to another record closing high on Wall Street, extending Friday's rally after US employment rose more than expected last month.
The loonie strengthened after the release of Canadian building permits data, which surged past expectations in March, though the closely-watched residential, single family component was more subdued.
"Once again, it's a situation where on the surface, things look good for the Canadian dollar, but the domestic factors really weren't that strong, so lets chalk this up to basic risk-on move," said Mark Chandler, head of Canadian fixed-income and currency strategy at RBC Capital Markets.
The Canadian dollar, which was stronger against other major currencies, finished its North American session at C$1.0068 against the US dollar, or 99.32 US cents, weaker than Friday's close at C$1.0078, or 99.23 US cents.
The Canadian currency weakened briefly following the release of Ivey Purchasing Managers Index data that showed the pace of business purchasing slowed more severely than expected in April.
The currency's movements were expected to be mostly subdued until Friday's Canadian employment data. The report is expected to show the economy added 15,000 jobs in April, while the unemployment rate held steady at 7.2 percent, according to a Reuters survey of analysts.
"We're going to wait until Friday's employment numbers in Canada before things get a little bit more exciting on the Canadian dollar front," Benjamin Reitzes, senior economist and foreign exchange strategist at BMO Capital Markets.
Reitzes said currency traders are also looking for more clues on what newly appointed Bank of Canada Governor Stephen Poloz will say about monetary policy.
RBC's Chandler said Canadian housing data could be a potential hiccup, while the Reserve Bank of Australia, which meets on Tuesday, may cut its benchmark interest rate.
"We'll see if there's any contagion spillover to the Canadian dollar that might take some of the steam out of it right here," he added.
Prices for Canadian government bonds were lower across the curve. The two-year bond fell 2.5 Canadian cents to yield 0.977 percent, while the benchmark 10-year bond fell 28 Canadian cents to yield 1.801 percent.
<Center><b><i>Copyright Reuters, 2013</b></i><br></center>
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