* Canadian dollar at C$1.2684, or 78.84 U.S. cents
* Bond prices mixed across the maturity curve
TORONTO, April 20 (Reuters) - The Canadian dollar weakened
against its U.S. counterpart on Wednesday as weaker than
expected domestic data and a drop in oil prices weighed, one-day
after the currency made a nine-month high.
Canadian wholesale trade dropped by more than expected in
February, falling 2.2 percent from January on declines in most
industries, data from Statistics Canada showed. It followed
three consecutive monthly increases.
Oil prices fell as investor focus returned to worries about
oversupply after Kuwaiti workers ended a three-day strike that
had halved the nation's crude output.
U.S. crude CLc1 prices were down 2.31 percent to $40.13 a
barrel.
At 9:01 a.m. EDT (1301 GMT), the Canadian dollar CAD=D4
was trading at C$1.2684 to the greenback, or 78.84 U.S. cents,
weaker than Tuesday's close of C$1.2660, or 78.99 U.S. cents.
The currency's strongest level of the session was C$1.2646,
while its weakest was C$1.2731. On Tuesday, the loonie touched
its strongest since July 6 at C$1.2630.
The Bank of Canada is looking closely at what level of
inflation it should aim for as it prepares for talks with the
government about renewing its mandate, but the bar to change is
still high, Governor Stephen Poloz said on Tuesday.
Last week, the central bank warned that the country's
improving economy faced downside risks, including a stronger
currency that could drag on non-commodity exports, although it
held interest rates steady and raised growth forecasts.
Canadian government bond prices were mixed across a flatter
maturity curve. The two-year CA2YT=RR price fell 0.5 of a
Canadian cent to yield 0.618 percent and the benchmark 10-year
CA10YT=RR rose 11 Canadian cents to yield 1.313 percent.
The Canada-U.S. 10-year spread was 1.1 basis points more
negative at -46.8 basis points as Canadian government bonds
outperformed. On Tuesday, it touched its smallest gap since May
last year at -45.7 basis points.
Bank of Canada Governor Stephen Poloz and Senior Deputy
Governor Carolyn Wilkins will appear before the Senate Standing
Committee on Banking, Trade and Commerce at 4:15 p.m. EDT (2015
GMT).