The Canadian dollar is trading sideways on Tuesday. Currently, USD/CAD is trading at 1.3106, up 0.04% on the day. On the release front, there are no Canadian events. In the U.S, the Richmond Manufacturing Index is expected to drop to 25 points. On Wednesday, the Bank of Canada is expected to raise the benchmark rate to 1.75%.
All eyes are on the Bank of Canada, which holds its policy meeting on Wednesday. The BoC has raised rates twice this year, and a third hike would raise rates to 1.75%, which would be the highest level since October 2008. This meeting is the first since Canada signed on to a new trade agreement with Mexico and the United States, which should provide a boost to the economy and calm investor jitters. The Federal Reserve raised rates in September and is expected to do repeat in December, so a BoC rate hike will help keep the Canadian dollar attractive to investors.
Relations between the U.S and China remain tenuous, with the markets nervous that the trade war could worsen. The U.S Treasury Department released its semi-annual report on foreign exchange rates on Thursday, and there was some relief in the markets as the report did not name China as a currency manipulator. Still, the report said that the U.S was “deeply disappointed’ with that China refuses to disclose the extent of its foreign currency intervention. The Chinese yuan has slipped some 9 percent since April, and U.S officials are concerned that China has deliberately weakened the currency in order to counter U.S tariffs on Chinese goods, and will continue to monitor China’s currency practices.
