Canadian dollar falls for third day as Fed shift rattles markets

TORONTO: The Canadian dollar fell to a seven-week low against its broadly stronger US counterpart on Thursday, after a hawkish shift in guidance by the US Federal Reserve startled investors.

The loonie was trading 0.4% lower at 1.2326 to the greenback, or 81.13 US cents, adding to declines on Tuesday and Wednesday. It touched its weakest level since May 4 at 1.2346.

Shares fell globally and the US dollar rose to its highest in more than two months against a basket of major currencies, after the US Federal Reserve signaled it would raise interest rates and end emergency bond-buying sooner than expected.

Canada is a major producer of commodities, including copper and oil, which have benefited from Federal Reserve stimulus.

Copper prices fell to their lowest in two months, while oil steadied below a multi-year high it notched on Wednesday. US crude prices were up 0.1% at $72.23 a barrel.

The Bank of Canada is starting to see signs that the country's red hot housing market is cooling down, although a return to a normality will take time, Governor Tiff Macklem said on Wednesday.

Canadian home prices accelerated again in May from the previous month, posting the largest monthly rise in the history of the Teranet-National Bank Composite House Price Index, data showed on Thursday.

Data from Statistics Canada showed that foreign investors bought a net C$9.95 billion in Canadian securities in April, led by government bonds.

Canadian government bond yields edged lower across the curve, steadying after a sharp move higher on Wednesday. The 10-year yield eased about half a basis point to 1.435%.