* Canadian dollar at C$1.2945 or 77.25 U.S. cents
* Bond prices mixed across the maturity curve
TORONTO, July 29 (Reuters) - The Canadian dollar weakened
slightly against the U.S. dollar on Wednesday as crude prices
fell, but traded within a narrow range ahead of the Federal
Reserve statement on monetary policy.
The loonie was still among the weakest against a number of
major currencies, as the price of oil, a key Canadian export,
marked its longest string of losses in a year on an ever-growing
global supply glut. O/R
Investors were otherwise waiting for the Fed meeting to wrap
up on Wednesday. Some expect the Fed to give a clearer signal as
to when it will hike interest rates, with many economists
forecasting September, though signs of slowing growth in China
could push those forecasts back.
The Canadian dollar is expected to weaken further this year,
particularly as the two central bank monetary policies diverge.
The Bank of Canada has already cut rates by 25 basis points
twice this year.
* At 9:17 a.m. EDT (1317 GMT), the Canadian dollar CAD=D4
was trading at C$1.2945 to the greenback, or 77.25 U.S. cents.
This was off the Bank of Canada's official close of C$1.2927, or
77.36 U.S. cents on Tuesday, which was the currency's strongest
level in nearly two weeks.
* The Canadian dollar has traded between C$1.2920 and
C$1.2968 so far in the session.
* The Federal Reserve statement is due at 2:00 p.m. EDT
ECONUS .
* U.S. crude CLc1 prices were down 0.63 percent to $47.68
a barrel, while Brent crude LCOc1 lost 0.41 percent to
$53.08. O/R
* Canadian government bond prices were mixed across the
maturity curve, with the longer-term bonds falling. The two-year
CA2YT=RR price fell 1.5 Canadian cents to yield 0.449 percent
and the benchmark 10-year CA10YT=RR was down 13 Canadian cents
to yield 1.52 percent.
* The Canada-U.S. two-year bond spread widened to -25.5
basis points, while the 10-year spread widened to -75.3 basis
points.