WINNIPEG – The Canadian dollar is moving higher to start Thursday.
As of 9:08 a.m. CST, the loonie was at US$0.7824 or US$1=C$1.2781, compared to Wednesday’s close of US$0.7810 or US$1=C$1.2804.
The United States Dollar Index was up 0.03 of a point to 95.96. The U.S. Labor Department reported on Thursday weekly unemployment claims surprisingly dropped 8,000 to 198,000 for the week ended Dec. 25.
Benchmark crude oil prices were on the positive side on Thursday. Brent crude oil gained seven cents per barrel to US$79.30. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) jumped US$0.59 to US$77.15/barrel. Western Canadian Select (WCS) rose US$0.69 to US$62.38/barrel.
The TSX/S&P Composite Index gained 27.53 points to 21,372.18.
Gold increased US$0.80 per ounce to US$1,806.60.
