The Canadian dollar rally continues on Christmas week, as the currency has posted six straight winning sessions. In the Friday session, USD/CAD is trading at 1.2537, down 0.27%. With no Canadian or US indicators, on the schedule, traders can expect a quiet end to the last week of 2018.
Christmas week has been marked by thin trading, and there are no Canadian events this week. Still, the Canadian dollar is on the move, and has posted strong gains of 1.5%. Canada’s GDP in October disappointed, with a flat reading of 0.0%. Still, recent consumer indicators have been strong. Retail Sales sparkled with a gain of 0.8% in October, well above the forecast of 0.4%. This was the indicator’s highest gain since April. As well, CPI improved to 0.3% in November, marking a five-month high. This edged above the estimate of 0.2%. The Canadian dollar has enjoyed an excellent December, but could face some headwinds next month, as the Federal Reserve is widely expected to raise interest rates at its January meeting, following the rate hike earlier in December.
The US dollar remains under pressure, as key indicators this week were a mix. On Thursday, unemployment claims were unchanged at 245 thousand, above the forecast of 241 thousand. Earlier in the week, consumer confidence slowed, but housing numbers remained strong. New Home Sales sparkled, with a gain of 733 thousand. This easily beat the estimate of 654 thousand, and was the highest reading since September 2007.
