USD/CAD rises to near 1.3760 as US Dollar gains ground
- USD/CAD moves higher to near 1.3760 as the US Dollar bounces back on signs of progress in the US-EU trade deal.
- The EU asked its domestic firms to provide details of investment plans in the US.
- Investors await the Canadian Q1 GDP data on Friday ahead of the BoC's monetary policy announcement next week.
The USD/CAD pair gains to near 1.3760 during European trading hours on Tuesday. The Loonie pair rises as the US Dollar (USD) gains ground due to de-escalating trade tensions between the European Union (EU) and the United States (US).
The US Dollar Index (DXY), which gauges the Greenback’s value against six major currencies, jumps to near 99.35 from the monthly low of 98.70 posted on Monday.
During European trading hours, a report from Reuters showed that EU officials have asked the bloc’s companies to share details indicating their investment plans in the US. This stated that the continent is making efforts to speed up progress towards closing trade deal with the US.
On Monday, trade tensions between the EU and the US were also diminished and expectations that both economies would reach a potential bilateral deal had increased after comments from European Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic at X in which he stated that the EU Commission remains “fully committed to constructive efforts at pace towards an EU-US deal”. “We continue to stay in constant contact," he added.
Though the Canadian Dollar (CAD) is underperforming against the US Dollar, it trades higher against other major peers during European trading hours on Tuesday.
Canadian Dollar PRICE Today
The table below shows the percentage change of Canadian Dollar (CAD) against listed major currencies today. Canadian Dollar was the strongest against the Japanese Yen.
| USD | EUR | GBP | JPY | CAD | AUD | NZD | CHF | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USD | 0.37% | 0.21% | 0.89% | 0.18% | 0.65% | 0.85% | 0.75% | |
| EUR | -0.37% | -0.18% | 0.49% | -0.19% | 0.21% | 0.38% | 0.36% | |
| GBP | -0.21% | 0.18% | 0.70% | -0.01% | 0.37% | 0.56% | 0.49% | |
| JPY | -0.89% | -0.49% | -0.70% | -0.68% | -0.24% | -0.11% | -0.14% | |
| CAD | -0.18% | 0.19% | 0.01% | 0.68% | 0.45% | 0.59% | 0.51% | |
| AUD | -0.65% | -0.21% | -0.37% | 0.24% | -0.45% | 0.09% | 0.03% | |
| NZD | -0.85% | -0.38% | -0.56% | 0.11% | -0.59% | -0.09% | -0.10% | |
| CHF | -0.75% | -0.36% | -0.49% | 0.14% | -0.51% | -0.03% | 0.10% |
The heat map shows percentage changes of major currencies against each other. The base currency is picked from the left column, while the quote currency is picked from the top row. For example, if you pick the Canadian Dollar from the left column and move along the horizontal line to the US Dollar, the percentage change displayed in the box will represent CAD (base)/USD (quote).
This week, the major trigger for the Loonie will be the Q1 and the March Gross Domestic Product (GDP) data, which will be published on Friday. The Canadian economy is expected to have expanded at a moderate pace of 1.6% on an annualized basis, compared to the previously reported 2.6%. Next week, investors will pay close attention to the Bank of Canada’s (BoC) interest rate decision.
US Dollar FAQs
The US Dollar (USD) is the official currency of the United States of America, and the ‘de facto’ currency of a significant number of other countries where it is found in circulation alongside local notes. It is the most heavily traded currency in the world, accounting for over 88% of all global foreign exchange turnover, or an average of $6.6 trillion in transactions per day, according to data from 2022. Following the second world war, the USD took over from the British Pound as the world’s reserve currency. For most of its history, the US Dollar was backed by Gold, until the Bretton Woods Agreement in 1971 when the Gold Standard went away.
The most important single factor impacting on the value of the US Dollar is monetary policy, which is shaped by the Federal Reserve (Fed). The Fed has two mandates: to achieve price stability (control inflation) and foster full employment. Its primary tool to achieve these two goals is by adjusting interest rates. When prices are rising too quickly and inflation is above the Fed’s 2% target, the Fed will raise rates, which helps the USD value. When inflation falls below 2% or the Unemployment Rate is too high, the Fed may lower interest rates, which weighs on the Greenback.
In extreme situations, the Federal Reserve can also print more Dollars and enact quantitative easing (QE). QE is the process by which the Fed substantially increases the flow of credit in a stuck financial system. It is a non-standard policy measure used when credit has dried up because banks will not lend to each other (out of the fear of counterparty default). It is a last resort when simply lowering interest rates is unlikely to achieve the necessary result. It was the Fed’s weapon of choice to combat the credit crunch that occurred during the Great Financial Crisis in 2008. It involves the Fed printing more Dollars and using them to buy US government bonds predominantly from financial institutions. QE usually leads to a weaker US Dollar.
Quantitative tightening (QT) is the reverse process whereby the Federal Reserve stops buying bonds from financial institutions and does not reinvest the principal from the bonds it holds maturing in new purchases. It is usually positive for the US Dollar.
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