USD/CAD has edged higher in the Monday session. Currently, the pair is trading at 1.3350. On the release front, manufacturing data is in focus on both sides of the border. Canada releases Manufacturing PMI, while the US publishes ISM Manufacturing PMI. On Tuesday, Canada releases Trade Balance.
Canada’s economy expanded 0.6% in January, easily beating the forecast of 0.3%. This marked a 7-month high for GDP, and raises hopes that a strong US economy will boost its northern neighbor. Although the Canadian economy has been churning out decent numbers, lower oil prices have had a negative impact on the Canadian economy and also weighed on the Canadian dollar, which remains above the 1.33 level. Later in the week, we’ll get a look at Canadian Employment Change, which is expected to post a modest gain of 5.7 thousand.
Donald Trump’s presidency has been anything but smooth. The battles with the media continue, an economic policy remains a mystery, and Trump suffered a major setback as he couldn’t even muster a vote over his healthcare bill. Despite these hiccups, the US economy hasn’t missed a beat in 2017. The CB consumer confidence report soared to 125.6 in March, and strong consumer confidence levels should translate into increased consumer spending. GDP for the fourth quarter was revised to 2.1%, up from 1.9% in the previous GDP report. This points to strong growth for the economy, as the discussions around the monetary policy tables are not whether the Fed will raise rates, but will it press the rate trigger twice or three times in 2017. The Fed will release the minutes of its March meeting on Wednesday, and the markets will be looking for clues as to the timing of a possible rate hike.
