Loonie Rallies As Employment Numbers Beat Street

The Canadian dollar strengthened for a second day against its U.S. counterpart after the nation’s employment rose than economists forecast in February on gains by service industries, keeping the jobless rate at a four-year low.

The currency, known as the loonie for the image of the aquatic bird on the C$1 coin, also rose as U.S. payrolls increased more than expected in February. The Canadian currency fell earlier this week after the Bank of Canada softened language about tighter monetary policy and said it won’t raise interest rates anytime soon with inflation slowing more than expected.

“Job numbers look good in North America, and that could lead the way to encourage the market to add risk to their portfolios,” Dean Popplewell, a currency analyst at Oanda Corp, said by phone from Toronto. “Momentum should favor growth currencies in Canada and Mexico.”

The loonie rose 0.3 percent to C$1.0263 per U.S. dollar at 8:48 a.m. in Toronto. It touched C$1.0342 on March 1, matching the weakest since June 28. One Canadian dollar buys 97.44 U.S. cents.

Mexico’s peso gained 0.4 percent to 12.7100 to the dollar, one of just four currencies to advance versus the greenback.

Bloomberg

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