WINNIPEG – The Canadian dollar ended the week below the 80 United States cents mark.
The loonie was at US$0.7971 or US$1=C$1.2545 on Friday, down from Thursday’s close of US$0.8010 or US$1=C$1.2484.
The U.S. Dollar Index gained 0.39 of a point to 95.18. The increase came despite the Commerce Department reporting earlier today a 1.9 per cent decline in U.S. retail sales in December.
Benchmark crude oil prices rebounded after a brief correction. Brent crude oil jumped US$1.94 per barrel to US$86.41. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil surged US$2.16 to US$84.28/barrel. Western Canadian Select (WCS) crude oil climbed US$3.50 at US$71.25/barrel.
The TSX/S&P Composite Index added 52.31 points to 21,345.27.
Gold declined US$5.20 per ounce to US$1,816.20.
Canada’s agricultural sector fared as follows:
Buhler Industries dn $ 0.16 at $ 3.13
Farmer’s Edge Inc. up $ 0.04 at $ 3.15
Linamar Corp. up $ 0.13 at $ 80.20
Maple Leaf Foods dn $ 0.23 at $ 28.85
Nutrien Ltd. up $ 1.44 at $ 90.31
Ritchie Bros Auctioneers Inc. dn $ 0.31 at $ 77.67
(All figures are in Canadian dollars.)
