USD/CAD – Canadian Dollar Unchanged, Markets Eye Canadian and US Job Reports

USD/CAD is unchanged on Thursday, as the pair trades just below the 1.34 line. On the release front, US unemployment claims is expected to show little change, with an estimate of 257 thousand. Another key release, ISM Non-manufacturing PMI is expected to dip to 56.2 points. The sole Canadian event is a speech from BoE Governor Stephen Poloz at an event in Oshawa, Ontario. On Friday, the US will release additional employment numbers, led by Nonfarm Employment Change. The indicator is expected to climb to 174 thousand. Canada will also release Employment Change and the unemployment rate for October, with the economy expected to have shed 10 thousand jobs.

As expected, the Federal Reserve maintained the benchmark interest rate at 0.25% at Wednesday’s policy meeting. However, the tone of the policy statement was slightly hawkish message with regard to a December hike. The Fed said that the economy has improved and the employment market remains strong. The Fed also noted that inflation was moving towards its target of 2 percent. Weak inflation has long been the Achilles heel of the US economy, but this obstacle to a rate hike appears to have been removed. The policy statement hinted strongly at a December hike, noting that “the case for an increase in the federal funds rate has continued to strengthen but decided, for the time being, to wait for some further evidence of continued progress toward its objectives”.  Two FOMC members voted to raise rates immediately, Fed Presidents Esther George and Loretta Mester. With a December hike currently priced at over 70 percent, market sentiment towards the US dollar should remain positive and we could see gains against other major currencies.

Canada’s GDP posted a slight gain of 0.2% in August, matching the forecast. This was considerably softer than the 0.5% gain in July, but the loonie has held steady this week, as the markets appear relieved that the economy continued to expand. The Bank of Canada held interest rates at 0.50% in October, but remains cautious and downgraded its economic forecast. Canada will release Employment Change on Friday, and the markets are braced for a decline of 10.0 thousand. If the market forecast is accurate, the Canadian dollar could quickly change direction and lose ground.

USD/CAD Fundamentals

Thursday (November 3)

  • 7:30 US Challenger Job Cuts
  • 8:30 US Unemployment Claims. Estimate 257K
  • 8:30 US Preliminary Nonfarm Productivity. Estimate 1.7%
  • 8:30 US Preliminary Unit Labor Costs. Estimate 1.6%
  • 9:45 US Final Services PMI. Estimate 54.8
  • 10:00 US ISM Non-Manufacturing PMI. Estimate 56.2
  • 10:00 US Factory Orders. Estimate 0.2%
  • 10:30 US Natural Gas Storage. Estimate 55B

Friday (November 4)

  • 8:30 Canadian Employment Change.  Estimate -10.0K
  • 8:30 Canadian Unemployment Rate. Estimate 7.0%
  • 8:30 US Average Hourly Earnings. Estimate 0.3%
  • 8:30 US Nonfarm Employment Change. Estimate 174K
  • 8:30 US Unemployment Rate. Estimate 4.9%

*All release times are EDT

*Key events are in bold

USD/CAD for Thursday, November 3, 2016

USD/CAD November 3 at 8:00 GMT

Open: 1.3395 High: 1.3401 Low: 1.3350 Close: 1.3389

USD/CAD Technical

S1 S2 S1 R1 R2 R3
1.3120 1.3253 1.3371 1.3457 1.3551 1.3648
  • USD/CAD has shown limited movement in the Asian and European sessions
  • 1.3371 was tested earlier in support and is a weak line
  • There is resistance at 1.3457

Further levels in both directions:

  • Below: 1.3371, 1.3253, 1.3120 and 1.3028
  • Above: 1.3457, 1.3551 and 1.3648
  • Current range: 1.3371 to 1.3457

OANDA’s Open Positions Ratio

USD/CAD ratio is unchanged in the Thursday session, consistent with the lack of movement from USD/CAD. Currently, short positions command a strong majority (70%), indicative of trader bias towards USD/CAD continuing to move to lower ground.

This article is for general information purposes only. It is not investment advice or a solution to buy or sell securities. Opinions are the authors; not necessarily that of OANDA Corporation or any of its affiliates, subsidiaries, officers or directors. Leveraged trading is high risk and not suitable for all. You could lose all of your deposited funds.

Kenny Fisher

Kenny Fisher

Market Analyst at OANDA
A highly experienced financial market analyst with a focus on fundamental analysis, Kenneth Fisher’s daily commentary covers a broad range of markets including forex, equities and commodities. His work has been published in several major online financial publications including Investing.com, Seeking Alpha and FXStreet. Based in Israel, Kenny has been a MarketPulse contributor since 2012.