WINNIPEG – The Canadian dollar is looking to end the week on a positive note.
As of 8:39 a.m. CDT, the loonie was at US$0.7851 or US$1=C$1.2737, compared to US$0.7817 or US$1=C$1.2792 on Thursday. Statistics Canada reported on Thursday that the country’s number of job vacancies reached an all-time high of more than one million in March, while retail sales were virtually unchanged.
The United States Dollar Index eased off by 0.12 of a point to 101.71.
Crude oil prices were mixed on Friday due to demand for the upcoming Memorial Day weekend in the U.S. and fears high prices would damage the economy. OPEC+ and its allies will meet next week to discuss supply. Brent crude oil increased US$0.11 per barrel to US$117.51. Meanwhile, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) was down US$0.10 at US$113.99/barrel. Western Canadian Select (WCS) dropped US$1.82 to US$95.82/barrel.
The TSX/S&P Composite Index advanced 79.35 points to 20,661.53.
Gold rose US$9.90 per ounce to US$1,863.80.
