Home Daily Commentaries European lockdowns increase USD demand

European lockdowns increase USD demand

Daily Currency Update

CAD - Canadian DollarWith new lockdowns increasing in Europe, there’s been a slight rise in demand for US dollars. Rising cases loads in Europe have prompted Germany, France, Italy, and other countries to extend its lockdowns. The restrictions have hampered a global economic recovery. Demand for the Canadian dollar has fallen.Meanwhile, in the US today Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen have been scheduled to testify on the quarterly CARES Act report before the House Financial Services Committee. Many Powell and Yellen have shown a desire to keep stimulating the economy.USDCAD, pressured by USD demand, increased a third of a percent to 1.255.

Key Movers

The UK jobless rate unexpectedly fell to 5.0% in the three months prior to January, when the country entered a new lockdown, below its forecast of a rise to 5.2%. Average wage growth rose to 4.8%, its highest since March 2008, though this reflects how job losses have been greatest in low-paid sectors such as retail and hospitality, rather than higher pay for people who are still in work. The pound slipped below 1.3775 against the US dollar this morning which could have been due to dollar strength as investors bought the US dollar.On the data front there are no scheduled releases today in Australia. Looking ahead this week and tomorrow we will see the release of monthly Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) and Goods Trade Balance. From a technical perspective, the AUD/USD pair is currently trading at 0.7743. We continue to expect support to hold on moves approaching 0.7730 while now any upward push will likely meet resistance around 0.7820.

Expected Ranges

  • EUR/CAD: 1.49 - 1.497 ▲
  • GBP/CAD: 1.730 - 1.737 ▲
  • AUD/CAD: 0.963 - 0.971 ▲
  • USD/CAD: 1.250 - 1.258 ▼