USD/CAD – Canadian Dollar Edges Higher, Key US Consumer Data Next

USD/CAD continues to move sideways this week. In the Thursday session, the pair is trading at 1.2574, up 0.20% on the day. On the release front, Canada releases NHPI, a key housing inflation indicator, which is expected at 0.2%. In the US, PPI and Core PPI are expected to soften to 0.2%, and unemployment claims is forecast to drop to 246 thousand. On Friday, the US releases key consumer indicators for December, with the release of CPI and retail sales reports.

The Canadian dollar lost ground on Wednesday, following a report that China was considering slowing or halting the purchase of US government bonds. China boasts the largest currency reserves, estimated at $3 trillion. It is also the biggest holder of US government bonds, in the amount of $1.19 trillion. Why would China make this move? One reason is that it may consider US treasuries less attractive compared to other assets. As well, it could be part of China’s strategy to flex some muscle as a possible trade war looms between the US and China, which are the two largest economies in the world. The report has pushed US Treasury yields higher and sent the US dollar downwards.

The Canadian dollar has held its own against the greenback in January, aided by two important factors. First, the economy has posted excellent employment numbers. In December, the economy added 78.6 thousand jobs, defying experts who predicted a minuscule gain of 1.8 thousand. This release comes on the heels of a superb November release, when the economy added 79.5 thousand news jobs. The unemployment rate dropped to 5.7% in December, down from 5.9% a month earlier. Second, the recent rise in oil prices, which are up 6.8% since mid-December, has boosted the commodity-based Canadian currency. The BoC is expected to raise rates later this month, which could send the Canadian dollar upwards.

 

USD/CAD Fundamentals 

Thursday (January 11)

  • 8:30 Canadian NHPI. Estimate 0.2%
  • 8:30 US PPI. Estimate 0.2%
  • 8:30 US Core PPI. Estimate 0.2%
  • 8:30 US Unemployment Claims. Estimate 246K
  • Tentative – IBD/TIPP Economic Optimism. Estimate 52.3
  • 10:30 US Natural Gas Storage. Estimate -318B
  • 13:01 US 30-year Bond Auction
  • 14:00 US Federal Budget Balance. Estimate -34.5B
  • 15:30 US FOMC Member William Dudley Speaks

Friday (January 12)

  • 8:30 US CPI. Estimate 0.1%
  • 8:30 US Core CPI. Estimate 0.2%
  • 8:30 US Core Retail Sales. Estimate 0.4%
  • 8:30 US Retail Sales. Estimate 0.5%
  • 10:00 US Business Inventories. Estimate 0.3%

*All release times are GMT

*Key events are in bold

 

USD/CAD for Thursday, January 11, 2018

USD/CAD, January 11 at 8:00 EDT

Open: 1.2548 High: 1.2590 Low: 1.2528 Close: 1.2574

 

USD/CAD Technical

S3 S2 S1 R1 R2 R3
1.2190 1.2351 1.2494 1.2630 1.2757 1.2860

USD/CAD was flat in the Asian session and has edged higher in European trade

  • 1.2494 is providing support
  • 1.2630 is the next resistance line
  • Current range: 1.2351 to 1.2494

Further levels in both directions:

  • Below: 1.2494, 1.2351, 1.2190 and 1.2060
  • Above: 1.2630, 1.2757 and 1.2860

OANDA’s Open Positions Ratio

USD/CAD ratio continues to show little movement this week. Currently, long positions have a majority (61%), indicative of trader bias towards USD/CAD reversing directions and moving to higher 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.