* Canadian dollar at C$1.3849, or 72.21 U.S. cents
* Bond prices higher across the maturity curve
TORONTO, Dec 24 (Reuters) - The Canadian dollar strengthened
slightly against a broader weaker U.S. dollar on Thursday,
helped by an uptick in the price of oil as it was poised for its
first weekly advance since October.
The loonie, as Canada's currency is colloquially known,
traded in a tight range early in the last session before
Christmas.
* At 8:48 a.m. EST (1348 GMT), the Canadian dollar CAD=D4
was at C$1.3849 to the greenback, or 72.21 U.S. cents, stronger
than Wednesday's official close of C$1.3857, or 72.17 U.S.
cents.
* The currency's strongest level of the session was
C$1.3841, while its weakest was C$1.3873.
* Oil edged further above $37 a barrel but remained within
sight of an 11-year low reached earlier this week, as signs of a
tighter U.S. market raised hopes a supply glut would ease. U.S.
crude CLc1 prices were up 0.77 percent to $37.79 a barrel,
while Brent crude LCOc1 added 0.59 percent to $37.58. O/R
* The Canadian dollar was underperforming most of its other
key currency counterparts.
* Canadian government bond prices were higher across the
maturity curve, with the two-year CA2YT=RR price up half a
Canadian cent to yield 0.503 percent and the benchmark 10-year
CA10YT=RR rising 17 Canadian cents to yield 1.397 percent.