USD/CAD – Canadian dollar edges lower, US retail sales expected to slip

The Canadian dollar has ticked lower in the Friday session. Currently, USD/CAD is trading at 1.3389, up 0.24% on the day. On the release front, there are no Canadian events. In the U.S, the spotlight is on consumer spending. Retail sales and core retail sales are expected to drop sharply, with forecasts of 0.2% and 0.1%, respectively.

It has been a rough few weeks for the Canadian dollar. The currency has been under pressure since mid-November, losing 1.1 percent during the time. Weaker oil prices and a cooling U.S. economy have hampered Canada’s economy, and the BoC responded last week by remaining on the sidelines and maintaining interest rates.

In the U.S, weak inflation levels are another sign that the economy is slowing down. CPI dropped to 0.0% in November, down from 0.3% a month earlier. This marked the lowest level since May. Core CPI remained pegged at 0.2 percent. The weak readings can be attributed to falling oil prices, which has led to a sharp decline in gasoline prices. On an annualized basis, inflation gained 2.2 percent in November, down from 2.5 percent in October. With the U.S. economy showing signs of slowing down, and the global trade war taking a bite out of the global economy, inflation could continue to head lower as we head into 2019. This has led to a reassessment at the Federal Reserve of monetary policy. Earlier in the year, the Fed was sending messages that it would raise rates three or four times next year. This has been drastically scaled back, with some analysts predicting only one rate hike in 2019.

Aussie drops on China data miss

European open – Markets in the red into weekend

 

USD/CAD Fundamentals

Friday (December 14)

  • 8:30 US Core Retail Sales. Estimate 0.2%
  • 8:30 US Retail Sales. Estimate 0.1%
  • 9:15 US Capacity Utilization Rate. Actual 78.6%
  • 9:15 US Industrial Production. Estimate 0.3%
  • 9:45 US Flash Manufacturing PMI. Estimate 55.1
  • 9:45 US Flash Services PMI. Estimate 54.7
  • 10:00 US Business Inventories. Estimate 0.6%

*All release times are DST

*Key events are in bold

USD/CAD for Friday, December 14, 2018

USD/CAD, December 14 at 6:20 EST

Open: 1.3356 High: 1.3401 Low: 1.3348 Close: 1.3389

USD/CAD Technical

S3 S2 S1 R1 R2 R3
1.3198 1.3292 1.3383 1.3461 1.3552 1.3696

USD/CAD posted small gains in Asian trade and this trend has continued in the European session

  • 1.3383 was tested earlier in support and is a weak line
  • 1.3461 is the next resistance line
  • Current range: 1.3383 to 1.3461

Further levels in both directions:

  • Below: 1.3383, 1.3292, 1.3198 and 1.3099
  • Above: 1.3461, 1.3552 and 1.3696

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.