CANADA FX DEBT-Weak commodities undercut strong exports to keep C$ flat

Published 2015-08-05, 04:55 p/m
CANADA FX DEBT-Weak commodities undercut strong exports to keep C$ flat
USD/CAD
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HG
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LCO
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CL
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CA2YT=RR
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CA10YT=RR
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* Canadian dollar ends at C$1.3188, or 75.83 U.S. cents
* Bond prices lower across the maturity curve

By Alastair Sharp
TORONTO, Aug 5 (Reuters) - A fall in crude oil and other
commodity prices and a rebound in U.S. yields pulled the
Canadian dollar back to around an 11-year low against its U.S.
counterpart on Wednesday, offsetting data that showed a sharp
drop in the country's trade deficit in June.
The currency had initially strengthened to near C$1.31 to
the greenback after figures showed Canada's trade shortfall for
June came in far narrower than analysts had expected due to
strong export growth.
"We got a lift on the better-than-expected trade data but
then started to trade again with commodities and U.S. yields,"
said Matt Perrier, managing director of foreign exchange sales
at BMO Capital Markets.
Oil prices hit multi-month lows, aluminum hit a six-year
nadir and copper and gold also fell on Wednesday, while U.S.
bond yields rose.
The Canadian dollar CAD=D4 ended the day at C$1.3188 to
the greenback, or 75.83 U.S. cents, just weaker than the Bank of
Canada's official Tuesday close of C$1.3180, or 75.87 U.S.
cents.
Perrier said Canadian and U.S. jobs numbers for July on
Friday could provide direction, with C$1.3333 (75 U.S. cents)
seen as a psychologically important ceiling if the Canadian
figures come in weak and the U.S. numbers strong.
"The broader risks are still tilted towards a weaker
Canadian dollar," he said.
The cheaper Canadian currency - it hit its weakest level
since 2004 this week - likely played a role in the jump in June
exports.
The stronger trade data was "very surprising and quite large
in magnitude," said Don Mikolich, executive director of foreign
exchange sales at CIBC World Markets. "It makes you wonder if
we're finally getting some traction from the currency."
The loonie's strongest level of the session was C$1.3110,
while its weakest was C$1.3213.
Canadian government bond prices were lower across the
maturity curve, with the two-year CA2YT=RR price down 7
Canadian cents to yield 0.439 percent and the benchmark 10-year
CA10YT=RR falling 38 Canadian cents to yield 1.468 percent.
The Canada-U.S. two-year bond spread was -29.3 basis points,
while the 10-year spread was -80.2 basis points.
U.S. crude CLc1 prices settled down 1.3 percent at $45.15
a barrel, while Brent crude LCOc1 slipped to $49.59. O/R Oil
is a major Canadian export.

(Editing by Peter Galloway)

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