Home Daily Commentaries CAD demand picks up with hotter than expected CPI data

CAD demand picks up with hotter than expected CPI data

Daily Currency Update

The Canadian dollar has picked up on the day amid the release of stronger-than-expected inflation data. Canadian Consumer Price Index (CPI) data comes in at 3.3%, an increase over the previous month’s CPI of 2.8%. The mortgage interest cost index remains the largest contributor to headline inflation in Canada, being up over 30%. The CPI data excluding this index sits near 2.4%.

Key Movers

The US dollar index (DXY) is currently down on the day at -0.2% amid mixed data releases out of the US including strong retail sales and very weak manufacturing data. Retail sales data is stronger than expected at 0.7% versus the expected 0.4% rise. On the other hand, the US Empire State manufacturing index reports a decline of 20 points to 19.0 versus the expected -0.9 drop.

The German Zentrum für Europäische Wirtschaftsforschung (ZEW) Economic Sentiment Index is improving this month at -12.3 versus the expected -14.4. While the sentiment is still negative, this shows a positive outlook from economic analysts in Germany.

In UK news, the unemployment rate has increased to 4.2% for the quarter, over the forecasted 4%. UK employment experienced a decrease of 66,000 workers, a vast difference from the expected increase of 75,000 workers. This depicts a struggling labor market for the UK.

Retail sales data out of China shows a fall to 2.5%, down from 3.1% in June. Chinese unemployment rose from 5.2% in June to 5.3% in July. Both data reports suggest a struggling market.

Expected Ranges

  • EUR/CAD: 1.46684 - 1.47604 ▲
  • GBP/CAD: 1.70536 - 1.71645 ▲
  • AUD/CAD: 0.87050 - 0.87646 ▼
  • USD/CAD: 1.34392 - 1.35005 ▲