The Canadian dollar has edged higher in the Tuesday session, after three straight losing sessions. Currently, USD/CAD is trading at 1.3231, down 0.14% on the day. On the release front, there are no major U.S. indicators and no Canadian events. On Wednesday, the U.S. releases CPI reports.
Nervousness and uncertainty on the part of investors is never good news for the Canadian dollar, as the minor currency is dependent on risk appetite. With global stock markets seeing red over the past few days, the Canadian currency has fallen out of favor, declining close to 1.0% since Thursday. There are no key Canadian events until Friday, so USD/CAD movement will be largely dictated by U.S. consumer inflation and spending reports during the week.
The Fed shows no signs of easing up on interest rate hikes, with Fed policymakers stating that interest rates will continue to rise until the “neutral rate” of between 2.5 percent and 3.5 percent is reached. This means we can expect rate hikes once a quarter in 2019, barring a sharp downturn in the economy. The policy of gradual increases is good news for the U.S dollar, as higher interest rates means that the greenback is more attractive to investors. The Bank of Canada has taken a page out of the Federal Reserve’s book, saying that its policy of gradual rate hikes will continue into 2019. The BoC will have to continue raising rates if the Canadian dollar is to hold its own against the strong U.S. dollar.
