The Canadian domestic bond prices fell alongside US Treasuries on Friday, as robust November US jobs growth suggested to some that the US Federal Reserve may hold off cutting interest rates.
With most economists of the opinion that Canada's economic health will depend heavily on the depth of US weakness, Canadian bonds have followed treasuries of late, although confidence in domestic spending has kept Canadian rallies and selloffs more muted than US moves. That trend continued on Friday, as the US retreat was steeper, meaning the spread between US and Canadian yields widened slightly.
The two-year bond fell 13 Canadian cents to C$100.67 to yield 3.894 percent, while the 10-year bond dropped 35 Canadian cents to C$100.46 to yield 3.941 percent. The yield spread between the two-year and 10-year bond moved to 4.7 basis points from 7.2 at the previous close.
The 30-year bond declined 67 Canadian cents to C$128.10 to yield 4.016 percent. In the United States, the 30-year treasury yielded 4.665 percent. The three-month when-issued T-bill yielded 4.17 percent, up from 4.16 percent at the previous close.
The Canadian dollar edged higher against the US dollar on Friday, and rebounded from its sharp drop versus overseas currencies, helped by strong Canadian and US data. The currency finished at C$1.1488 to the US dollar, or 87.05 US cents, up slightly from C$1.1491 to the US dollar, or 87.02 US cents, at Thursday's close.
The Canadian dollar has been generally lower against the greenback in recent weeks and has plunged versus overseas currencies as the prospect of US economic weakness bleeding into Canada has soured investors on both major North American currencies.