Canadian Dollar strengthens despite easing oil pressure
- USD/CAD moved lower despite easing Middle East tensions pressuring oil and the Canadian Dollar.
- US Dollar struggles amid easing safe-haven demand due to Middle East tension relief.
- Strong US GDP and labor data limit deeper USD losses despite falling Fed hike probabilities.
USD/CAD loses ground for the third consecutive day, trading around 1.3970 during Asian hours on Friday. The pair depreciates despite renewed Middle East diplomatic efforts easing pressure on oil markets, placing downward pressure on the commodity-linked Canadian Dollar (CAD).
Crude oil prices held steady following a Wall Street Journal report disclosing that US Vice President JD Vance reached out on Wednesday to Mohsen Rezaei, Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, in an effort to restart peace talks. US President Donald Trump confirmed he approved Vance's diplomatic outreach, adding that Iran needs assistance with medical supplies and other essential resources.
The US Dollar (USD) faces pressure on easing safe-haven demand amid hopes for US-led diplomatic peace talks. Easing Middle East tensions have helped offset oil supply and inflationary concerns, dampening expectations for a Federal Reserve (Fed) rate hike at its December meeting. Traders are now pricing in a nearly 75% chance of a 25-basis-point rate increase, down from 84.2% a day prior.
However, recent US economic data highlights continued resilience and increased Fed rate hike bets. Preliminary Gross Domestic Product printed at 3.4% YoY, beating expectations of 3.2% and rising from Q2's 2.2% reading, driven by strong consumer spending at 3.8% YoY. Furthermore, the Fed’s preferred inflation metric, the Core PCE Price Index, rose 3.1% YoY in line with expectations, while initial jobless claims dipped slightly to 194K, reinforcing signs of a heating economy and a tight labor market.
Technical Analysis:
In the daily chart, USD/CAD trades at 1.3970, holding a bearish near-term bias as it remains below the nine- and 50-day Exponential Moving Averages (EMAs). The pair has retreated from recent highs and now trades under this short-term and medium-term moving average cluster, suggesting upside is capped for the moment, while the 14-day Relative Strength Index (RSI) at 36 leans toward weak momentum rather than outright oversold conditions.
On the topside, immediate resistance is located at the nine-day EMA at 1.4027, followed by the fifty-day EMA at 1.4057, with a more significant barrier at the horizontal level near 1.4300. On the downside, initial support appears at the 1.3732 horizontal floor, ahead of a deeper structural level at 1.3482, where buyers would be expected to show stronger interest if the current decline extends.
BoC hike seen as modestly hawkish, nudging rate expectations higher
Strategists at Scotiabank note that the Bank of Canada’s mid-week move was not only about the decision itself but also about the tone accompanying it. They highlight that the BoC’s hike on Wednesday was “delivered with a modestly hawkish message” which, in their view, “ultimately delivered a slight boost in rate expectations across the curve,” reinforcing support for the Canadian Dollar against its commodity peers.
(The technical analysis of this story was written with the help of an AI tool. Know more.)
Canadian Dollar FAQs
The key factors driving the Canadian Dollar (CAD) are the level of interest rates set by the Bank of Canada (BoC), the price of Oil, Canada’s largest export, the health of its economy, inflation and the Trade Balance, which is the difference between the value of Canada’s exports versus its imports. Other factors include market sentiment – whether investors are taking on more risky assets (risk-on) or seeking safe-havens (risk-off) – with risk-on being CAD-positive. As its largest trading partner, the health of the US economy is also a key factor influencing the Canadian Dollar.
The Bank of Canada (BoC) has a significant influence on the Canadian Dollar by setting the level of interest rates that banks can lend to one another. This influences the level of interest rates for everyone. The main goal of the BoC is to maintain inflation at 1-3% by adjusting interest rates up or down. Relatively higher interest rates tend to be positive for the CAD. The Bank of Canada can also use quantitative easing and tightening to influence credit conditions, with the former CAD-negative and the latter CAD-positive.
The price of Oil is a key factor impacting the value of the Canadian Dollar. Petroleum is Canada’s biggest export, so Oil price tends to have an immediate impact on the CAD value. Generally, if Oil price rises CAD also goes up, as aggregate demand for the currency increases. The opposite is the case if the price of Oil falls. Higher Oil prices also tend to result in a greater likelihood of a positive Trade Balance, which is also supportive of the CAD.
While inflation had always traditionally been thought of as a negative factor for a currency since it lowers the value of money, the opposite has actually been the case in modern times with the relaxation of cross-border capital controls. Higher inflation tends to lead central banks to put up interest rates which attracts more capital inflows from global investors seeking a lucrative place to keep their money. This increases demand for the local currency, which in Canada’s case is the Canadian Dollar.
Macroeconomic data releases gauge the health of the economy and can have an impact on the Canadian Dollar. Indicators such as GDP, Manufacturing and Services PMIs, employment, and consumer sentiment surveys can all influence the direction of the CAD. A strong economy is good for the Canadian Dollar. Not only does it attract more foreign investment but it may encourage the Bank of Canada to put up interest rates, leading to a stronger currency. If economic data is weak, however, the CAD is likely to fall.
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