Canadian dollar hits 6-week low as Wall Street tumbles
- Canadian dollar weakens 0.8% against the greenback.
- Loonie touches its weakest since Aug. 12 at 1.3320.
- Canadian new house prices rise 2.1% year-over-year in August.
- Canadian bond yields ease across a flatter curve.
TORONTO: The Canadian dollar fell to a near six-week low against its broadly stronger US counterpart on Monday, as oil prices declined more than 4% and rising coronavirus infections weighed on investor sentiment.
The loonie was trading 0.8% lower at 1.3310 to the greenback, or 75.13 US cents. The currency touched its weakest intraday level since Aug. 12 at 1.3320.
"The USD has caught a risk-off, safe-haven bid due to the turbulence in the equity markets," said Tony Valente, a senior FX dealer at AscendantFX. "It seems that equity markets haven't finished their September correction yet."
Wall Street's main indexes slid to seven-week lows as renewed lockdown measures in some countries due to the spread of the virus cast doubt over economic recovery.
The sell-off in oil, one of Canada's major exports, intensified pressure on the loonie, Valente said.
US crude oil futures settled 4.4% lower at $39.31 a barrel as rising coronavirus cases stoked worries about global demand, while a potential return of Libyan production bolstered oversupply fears.
Canada has also seen a rise in coronavirus infections. On Saturday, Ontario, the country's most-populous province, cracked down on private social gatherings.
Canadian new house prices rose 2.1% year-over-year in August, which was the largest increase since March 2018, Statistics Canada said on Monday.
Canadian government bond yields were lower across a flatter curve in sympathy with US Treasuries. The 10-year fell 2.9 basis points to 0.552%.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is scheduled to unveil on Wednesday what he says is a far-reaching plan to help Canada recover from the coronavirus pandemic.
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