Canadian Dollar Spikes Up As BoC Retains Benchmark Interest Rate

06:32, 25th May 2016

(RTTNews) - The Canadian dollar advanced against its major rivals in early New York deals on Wednesday, after the Bank of Canada kept benchmark interest rate unchanged, as inflation remains roughly in line with the Bank's expectations.

The BoC maintained its target for the overnight rate at 0.5 percent. The decision was in line with forecasts.

The bank expects the second quarter economic growth to be much weaker than predicted, due to the devastating Alberta wildfires. The Bank said it predicts the fire-related destruction and the associated halt to oil production would cut about 1.25 percentage points off real GDP growth in the second quarter.

Crude oil futures surged near $50 a barrel ahead of data that may confirm a large drawdown in U.S. oil inventories.

The American Petroleum Institute said late Tuesday that its data for last week showed a 5.1-million-barrel decrease in crude supplies, a drop nearly twice as large ass analysts were expecting.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration will release its official data shortly.

The loonie showed mixed trading in European deals. While the currency held steady against the aussie and the yen, it fell modestly against the euro and the greenback.

Reversing from an early low of 0.9453 against the aussie, the loonie edged up to 0.9403. The loonie may locate resistance around the 0.92 zone.

The loonie firmed to 6-day highs of 84.55 versus the yen and 1.3052 versus the greenback, off its early lows of 83.73 and 1.3133, respectively. The next possible resistance levels for the loonie are seen around 86.00 against the yen and 1.28 against the greenback.

The loonie advanced to a weekly high of 1.4551 versus euro, reversing from an early low of 1.4640. Further uptrend may lead the loonie to a resistance around the 1.44 mark.

German consumer confidence is set to strengthen in June, a monthly survey by research group GfK showed. The consumer sentiment indicator, based on a survey of around 2,000 Germans, rose to 9.8 from 9.7 in May. It was forecast to remain unchanged in June.