The Canadian dollar eased versus the greenback on Friday, after a report showed Canada added more jobs than expected in November, but the increase was entirely due to part-time jobs. Domestic bonds eased slightly, as the data did little to change expectations that the Bank of Canada will leave interest rates unchanged next week.
The currency was at C$1.1422 to the US dollar, or 87.55 US cents, down from C$1.1379, or 87.88 US cents, at Wednesday's close. The Canadian economy added 22,400 jobs in November, more than expected, due to a gain of 40,500 part-time jobs, while full-time jobs declined by 18,100, according to Statistics Canada.
Analysts noted the report showed Canada's labour market was still in good shape, as the report followed a robust 50,500 jobs gain in October.
Domestic bonds were down slightly, following the lead of US treasuries, and largely ignoring the domestic jobs data, which did not change expectations that the Bank of Canada will hold interest rates steady until sometime next year.
The two-year bond eased 1 Canadian cent to C$100.71 to yield 3.875 percent, while the 10-year bond slipped 4 Canadian cents to C$100.74 to yield 3.906 percent.