WINNIPEG – The Canadian dollar rose on Friday after the release of employment data from Statistics Canada to close an up-and-down week.
The loonie closed at US$0.7862 or US$1=C$1.2720 on Friday, up from Thursday’s close of US$0.7827 or US$1=C$1.2776. Canada’s central data agency reported on Friday that 336,600 jobs were added in February, bringing Canada’s unemployment rate down to 5.5 per cent.
The U.S. Dollar Index was up 0.60 of a point to 99.11.
Benchmark crude oil prices were back on the rise on Friday. Brent crude oil gained US$3.30 per barrel to US$112.63. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil increased US$3.31 to US$109.33/barrel. Western Canadian Select (WCS) advanced US$2.61 to US$96.36.
The TSX/S&P Composite Index ended the week on a down note, losing 119.87 points to 21,461.83.
Gold lost US$11.20 per ounce to US$1,989.20.
Canada’s agricultural sector fared as follows:
Buhler Ind. unchanged at $ 2.44
Farmer’s Edge Inc. dn $ 0.01 at $ 3.12
Linamar Corp. up $ 0.44 at $ 51.23
Maple Leaf Foods dn $ 0.65 at $ 28.88
Nutrien Ltd. dn $ 0.94 at $129.22
Ritchie Bros Auctioneers Inc. dn $ 0.76 at $ 72.96
(All figures are in Canadian dollars.)
