The Canadian dollar is trading sideways in the Monday session. Currently, USD/CAD is trading at 1.3108, up 0.01% on the day. On the release front, it’s a quiet start to the week, with no Canadian events. In the U.S, there are two minor consumer indicators.
There was more good news for the U.S economy on Friday, as Advance GDP posted an impressive gain of 3.5%, above the estimate of 3.3%. This was down from the sizzling Final GDP for Q2, which came in at 4.2%. Still, analysts were not expecting a repeat of the Q2 performance, and the U.S dollar moved higher on Friday. With global stock markets spiraling lower, risk appetite has dampened as investors flock to the U.S dollar at the expense of the Canadian dollar and other currencies. A rash of geopolitical hotspots has weighed on investor sentiment, including the spike in Italian debt, the Brexit impasse and the U.S-China trade war.
As widely expected, the BoC raised the benchmark rate on Wednesday by a quarter-point, to 1.75%. The BoC gave the economy high marks, while at the same time noting that lower oil prices and the U.S-China trade dispute could dampen economic growth. BoC Deputy Governor Carolyn Wilkins noted that even with the increase, rate policy remains “accommodative”, as the “neutral rate” stance won’t be reached until rates are between 2.5% and 3.5%. As the move was priced in, the Canadian dollar could only muster slight gains on Wednesday. Domestically, the situation is bright, and the BoC will be looking at further interest rates in order to boost inflation while ensuring that the strong Canadian economy does not overheat.
