WINNIPEG – The Canadian dollar ended the week on a high note after Statistics Canada revealed Friday morning the country added more than 300,000 jobs in March, tripling pre-report estimates.
The loonie was at US$0.7972 or US$1=C$1.2544 on Friday, up from Thursday’s close at US$0.7950 or US$1=C$1.2579. After a week of losses on the United States Dollar Index, the greenback gained 0.10 points to 92.16.
Benchmark crude oil prices retreated on Friday. Brent crude oil decreased by US$0.18 per barrel to US$63.02. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil fell by US$0.29 to US$59.31/barrel. Western Canadian Select (WCS) crude oil dropped US$0.17 to US$49.11/barrel.
The TSX Composite Index stayed relatively steady on Friday, losing 0.84 points to 19.228.03, ending a string of four straight record-high closes.
Gold erased most of yesterday’s gains, losing US$12.87 to US$1,742.97 per ounce.
Canada’s agricultural sector fared as follows:
Buhler Industries unchanged at $ 3.63
Linamar Corp. dn $ 1.23 at $ 74.64
Maple Leaf Foods dn $ 0.01 at $ 27.72
Nutrien Ltd. up $ 0.07 at $ 68.75
Ritchie Bros Auctioneers Inc. up $ 0.90 at $ 78.22
Farmer’s Edge Inc. up $ 0.48 at $ 17.98
(All figures are in Canadian dollars.)
