(Adds trader comment, updates prices to close)
* Canadian dollar settles at C$1.3096, or 76.36 U.S. cents
* Loonie touches weakest since Aug. 10 at C$1.3103
* Canadian bond prices slightly higher across curve
By Alastair Sharp
TORONTO, Aug 30 (Reuters) - The Canadian dollar weakened on Tuesday to a nearly three-week low against its U.S. counterpart, with technical signals suggesting more weakness ahead of a key U.S. jobs report on Friday.
The greenback rose against a basket of major currencies as investors digest recent policymaker comments and wait to see if Friday's U.S. jobs report boost expectations the Federal Reserve will soon raise interest rates.
The Canadian dollar CAD=D4 settled at C$1.3096 to the greenback, or 76.36 U.S. cents, weaker than Monday's close of C$1.3023, or 76.79 U.S. cents.
"Dollar/Canada has broken a couple of moving averages over the last 24 hours," said David Bradley, a director of foreign exchange trading at Scotiabank. "It broke the 40-day and 55-day, so if we get a close up in this area I think it's probably good for a continuation higher."
The currency's strongest level of the session was C$1.3009, while the close was just off its weakest level of the session and weakest since Aug. 10 at C$1.3103.
The greenback's strength also weighed on oil prices, adding to pressure from growing glut worries amid forecasts for higher U.S. crude stockpiles and Iran's remarks that it was on target to reach peak production. U.S. crude CLc1 settled down 1.3 percent at $46.35 a barrel. O/R
Canada is a major oil exporter whose currency typically benefits from higher prices.
Losses for the loonie came as Canada's current account deficit widened to a near-record C$19.86 billion ($15.28 billion) in the second quarter, data from Statistics Canada showed. demand for gold and silver in the wake of Britain's vote to leave the European Union in late June helped push Canadian producer prices up by 0.2 percent in July, Statistics Canada said. government bond prices were slightly higher across the maturity curve, with the two-year CA2YT=RR up half a Canadian cent to yield 0.587 percent, and the benchmark 10-year CA10YT=RR adding 4 Canadian cents to yield 1.022 percent.
Canada's gross domestic product data for the second quarter is due for release on Wednesday. Economists expect a contraction at a 1.5 percent annualized pace as growth was shaken by wildfires in northern Alberta that disrupted oil production. ECONCA
GDP figures for June that are also set for release on Wednesday are expected to show growth picked up by 0.4 percent, which should bolster expectations that the economy will rebound in the third quarter.