WINNIPEG – The Canadian dollar jumped on Friday to its highest close in more than a month after the release of supportive economic data from Statistics Canada (StatCan).
The loonie closed at US$0.7415 or US$1=C$1.3486, up from US$0.7372 or US$1=C$1.3564 on Thursday. On Friday, StatCan reported that 104,000 jobs were added to the Canadian economy last December with the unemployment rate reduced to a near record-low of five per cent.
The United States Dollar Index fell 1.13 points at 103.91. The U.S. Labor Department also reported on Friday that 223,000 jobs were added in December, cutting the jobless rate to 3.5 per cent.
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Crude oil prices were mixed on Friday. Brent crude oil lost US$0.16 per barrel to US$78.53. Meanwhile, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) added US$0.03 at US$73.70/barrel. Western Canadian Select (WCS) shed US$0.06/barrel to US$47.03.
The TSX/S&P Composite Index surged 307.67 points to 19,814.51, due to strength in the base metal and energy sectors.
Gold rose US$30.70 at US$1,871.30 per ounce.
Canada’s agricultural sector fared as follows:
Buhler Ind. dn $ 0.05 at $ 1.88
Farmer’s Edge Inc. dn $ 0.01 at $ 0.27
Linamar Corp. up $ 0.79 at $ 63.50
Maple Leaf Foods up $ 0.45 at $ 25.75
Nutrien Ltd. up $ 2.79 at $103.98
Ritchie Bros Auctioneers Inc. up $ 1.25 at $ 78.85
(All figures are in Canadian dollars.)
