Canadian dollar hits near four-week low as US CPI data boosts greenback

Kitco Media
By Reuters
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Reuters
Canadian dollar hits near four-week low as US CPI data boosts greenback teaser image

TORONTO, Nov 10 (Reuters) - The Canadian dollar weakened to a near four-week low against its US counterpart on Tuesday, as the greenback ​posted broad-based gains and investors weighed minutes from the Bank ‌of Canada's most recent policy decision.

The loonie was trading 0.5% lower at 1.4185 per US dollar, or 70.50 US cents, after touching its weakest intraday level since ​October 15 at 1.4210.

Ahead of the Bank of Canada's October ​28 interest rate hike, governors agreed that uncertainty over the ⁠future path of rates did not mean the bank would do ​nothing, minutes showed.

"The Bank had clearly tilted hawkish in the run-up to its ​October rate hike," said Shelly Kaushik, a senior economist at BMO Capital Markets. "The data and developments since then, particularly on energy prices, suggest there's no hurry to ​follow up with another move in December."

The price of oil, one of ​Canada's major exports, fell to a two-month low after US officials downplayed the need ‌for ⁠additional military action against Iran, easing fears of additional Middle East supply disruptions. US crude futures were trading nearly 1% lower at $86.02 a barrel.

The US dollar strengthened against a basket of major currencies after hotter-than-expected US inflation ​data bolstered expectations ​that the ⁠Federal Reserve would raise borrowing costs next month.

Investors have fully discounted a Fed hike in December, while chances ​of a BoC move next month are seen at ​less than ⁠50%, swap market data showed.

Canadian government bond yields moved higher across a flatter curve, tracking moves in US Treasuries.

The 2-year was up 9.4 basis ⁠points ​at 3.251%. Still, it fell 10.1 basis ​points further below the equivalent US rate to a gap of about 149 basis points, ​its widest since October 21.

Reporting by Fergal Smith; Editing by Will Dunham

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