Home Daily Commentaries Bank of Canada outlines extended toolkit

Bank of Canada outlines extended toolkit

Daily Currency Update

CAD - Canadian DollarThe governor of the Bank of Canada said on Thursday morning that the institution would make funds available for lending, yield curve control and negative interest rates.Governor Tiff Macklem, speaking at the Global Risk Institute summit, said that the institution has additional tools if they’re needed. However, negative interest rates are not actively discussed by policy makers. Macklem said that the bank’s current asset purchase programs can be scaled up and scaled down as recovery progresses.Today, demand for the Canadian dollar firmed up. The rally in equity markets continued and the price of oil is up 2% this morning.

Key Movers

GBP moved on the back of Brexit headlines again yesterday as traders look to take advantage of short-term spikes in the market. Unfortunately, it seems a lot of the headlines and rumors are hearsay, leaving the market erratic and directionless. The UK and EU have no doubt made significant progress in this round of negotiations, however, are still yet to agree on fisheries and common ground legislation.Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey gave some insight into the health of the UK economy, which slightly aided the pound on Thursday morning. He suggested that the ‘second wave’ of coronavirus will not have the same economic impact on the UK economy as the first. Following on, he stated that certain sectors in the economy needed increased support whilst some may fail to survive properly. Alongside this, he hopes there is a Brexit deal however appreciates that post-Brexit transition will be tough. Bailey continues to speak throughout the morning.In Australia, attention remains squarely affixed to the risk narrative ahead of today’s Royal Bank of Australia financial stability review. Investors will be keenly attuned to the RBA twice yearly report for any insight that might build on Tuesday’s dovish policy statement and provide some guidance as to the path of interest rates and QE. With many investors now expecting a rate cut as early as next month, a hawkish surprise may help push the AUD back toward the top end of recent ranges while a dovish review could see a break back toward 0.71 US cents.

Expected Ranges

  • EUR/CAD: 1.553 - 1.563 ▲
  • GBP/CAD: 1.708 - 1.717 ▲
  • AUD/CAD: 0.9449 - 0.949 ▼
  • USD/CAD: 1.322 - 1.328 ▲