By Commodity News Service Canada
WINNIPEG, MB, Dec. 22, 2017 (CNS Canada) – The Canadian
dollar was slightly lower at open Friday morning before the
holiday season.
At 8:58 CST Friday morning the Canadian dollar was at
US$0.7825 or C$1.2771, which compares with Thursday’s North
American close of US$0.7853 or C$1.2734.
Oil prices dipped Friday but stayed near their highest
levels since 2015 on pledges from Organization of Petroleum
Exporting Countries (OPEC) leader Saudi Arabia and non-OPEC
member Russia that any exit from crude output cuts would be
gradual. Brent crude futures were down 24 cents to US$64.66 per
barrel.
Wall Street opened little changed Friday, with gains in
financial stocks offsetting losses in Nike and technology
shares. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 0.44 points to
24,781.85. The S&P 500 rose 0.6 points, or 0.02 per cent, to
2,685.17. The Nasdaq Composite fell 6.63 points, or 0.1 per
cent, to 6,958.73.
The Toronto TSX/S&P Composite Index slipped Friday, as
financial and energy stocks pulled back and oil prices
retreated. The TSX/S&P dropped 5.75 points, or 0.04 per cent, to
16,176.88.
