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Canadian dollar holds near 4-week low in wake of ratings cut

Published 2020-06-29, 03:17 p/m
© Reuters.
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* Canadian dollar trades near flat against the greenback

* Canadian consumer confidence climbs in June

* Price of U.S. oil increases 3.1%

* Canada's 10-year yield rises 1.2 basis points

By Fergal Smith

TORONTO, June 29 (Reuters) - The Canadian dollar was little changed against the greenback on Monday, holding near its weakest level since the start of June as the lingering impact of a ratings downgrade offset evidence that Canada's economy is recovering from the coronavirus crisis.

The Canadian dollar CAD= was trading nearly unchanged at 1.3689 to the greenback, or 73.05 U.S. cents. The currency traded in a range of 1.3646 to 1.3704, after having touched on Friday its weakest intraday level since June 1 at 1.3715.

"I think the CAD is still hungover from last week's sovereign rating cut from AAA by Fitch," said Tony Valente, senior FX dealer at AscendantFX.

Fitch last Wednesday cut Canada's rating to "AA+" from "AAA," making it the first time since August 2004 that the ratings agency did not give Canada top marks. Canada had been one of a handful of countries with a AAA rating from all three of the main agencies. rebalancing may also have weighed on the loonie but the pressure is likely to be temporary, Valente said.

Asset managers sometimes trade assets at the end of a quarter to bring their holdings closer to a target weighting.

The Conference Board of Canada's Index of Consumer Confidence rose 16 points to 79.7 in June as the country continued to reopen from COVID-19 imposed lockdowns, while data from Statistics Canada showed that the value of Canadian building permits rose by 20.2% in May from April. Street rose as investors clung to hopes of a stimulus-backed economic rebound, while the price of oil CLc1 , one of Canada's major exports, settled 3.1% higher at $39.70 a barrel. 10-year yield CA10YT=RR rose 1.2 basis points to 0.521%.

Canada's GDP data for April is due on Tuesday, which could help guide expectations for further Bank of Canada stimulus measures.

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