USD/CAD – Canadian dollar subdued on mixed Canadian construction data

The Canadian dollar is steady in the Monday session. Currently, USD/CAD is trading at 1.3358, down 0.20% on the day. On the release front, Canadian construction numbers were a mix. Housing permits improved to 193 thousand, up from 173 thousand a month earlier. This reading matched the forecast. Building permits plunged 5.7%, well below the forecast of a 2.0% gain. In the U.S., factory orders are expected to decline 0.5%, after two straight gains.

On Friday, the U.S. and Canada posted key employment numbers. U.S. nonfarm payrolls came in at 196 thousand, easily beating the estimate of 172 thousand in March. Still, this release is significantly lower than the December and January releases, both of which were above the 300-thousand level. Wage growth dipped to 0.1%, shy of the estimate of 0.3%. In Canada, employment declined by 7.2 thousand in March, after a huge increase of 55.9 thousand in February.

The Canadian economy has been affected by the trade war between the U.S. and China, especially the manufacturing and export sectors. With talks between the two super-economies continuing, there is optimism that China and the U.S. will reach a deal, and that could boost the Canadian dollar. There were reports last week that an agreement is 90% complete, with the remaining issues including enforcement mechanisms and the removal of trade tariffs.

Markets hit pause as central banks and Brexit risks loom

USD/CAD Fundamentals

Monday (April 8)

  • 8:13 Canadian Housing Starts. Estimate 193K. Actual 193K
  • 8:30 Canadian Building Permits. Estimate 2.0%. Actual -5.9%
  • 10:00 US Factory Orders. Estimate -0.5%

Tuesday (April 9)

  • 10:00 US JOLTS Job Openings. Estimate 7.54M

*All release times are DST

*Key events are in bold

USD/CAD for Monday, April 8, 2019

USD/CAD, April 8 at 9:10 EST

Open: 1.3384 High: 1.3387 Low: 1.3354 Close: 1.3358

USD/CAD Technical

S3 S2 S1 R1 R2 R3
1.3125 1.3200 1.3290 1.3383 1.3445 1.3552

USD/CAD showed little movement in the Asian session and posted small losses in European trade

  • 1.3290 is providing support
  • 1.3383 was tested earlier in resistance. It is a weak line
  • Current range: 1.3290 to 1.3383

Further levels in both directions:

  • Below: 1.3290, 1.3200 and 1.3125
  • Above: 1.3383, 1.3445, 1.3552 and 1.3662

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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.