The Canadian dollar eased marginally from a five-week high against the US dollar on Friday, but it stayed within a tight range as investors awaited a slew of economic data and a US Federal Reserve meeting next week for further guidance. The greenback fell for a third straight week and was broadly weaker after a Wall Street Journal report said the Fed, which meets on Tuesday and Wednesday, may debate changing its guidance to emphasise that it will keep rates low for a long time.
"Next week will set the tone for the remainder of the summer in terms of foreign exchange," said Michael Woolfolk, senior currency strategist at BNY Mellon in New York. Canada and the United States, its largest export market, will release economic growth data next week, while the United States also will issue July jobs data. The Canadian dollar, which saw little movement throughout the day, finished the North American session at C$1.0273 versus the US dollar, or 97.34 US cents. That was marginally off Thursday's close of C$1.0264, or 97.43 US cents.
"We had a little volatility earlier in the week but that's pretty much been sapped out of the market," said Blake Jespersen, managing director, foreign exchange sales, at BMO Capital Markets. With a lack of economic data or news to drive direction on Friday, the commodities-linked currency was pressured in part by weaker oil prices, which fell on worries about China's economic slowdown and on oil output in the United States that is at the highest level in decades. The price of Canadian government debt was higher across the maturity curve. The two-year bond rose 1 Canadian cent to yield 1.148 percent, while the benchmark 10-year bond rose 12 Canadian cents to yield 2.451 percent.
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