The Canadian dollar fell on Friday. After the Trump administration softened its stance on international trade, in particular by reopening trade talks with China, NAFTA optimism boosted the loonie. Traders did not feel confident in carrying over short dollar positions into the weekend and the greenback saw a recovery on Friday.
The loonie advanced 1 percent during the week and next week’s inflation and retail sales data on Friday are crucial for the fate of a Bank of Canada (BoC) interest rate hike. NAFTA headlines will roll in as the team of negotiations get back to work with the aim to add Canada to to US-Mexico agreement.
Expectations are mixed on NAFTA, as Canada seems ready to make concessions on dairy but the US and Mexico continue to press for a trilateral deal while also adding they are ready to forge ahead if its only a bilateral one.
