WINNIPEG – The Canadian dollar bumped up on Wednesday after Statistics Canada (StatCan) released its quinquennial national Census.
As of 8:48 a.m. CST, the loonie was at US$0.7882 or US$1=C$1.2687, compared to US$0.7868 or US$1=C$1.2709 on Tuesday. The 2021 Census reported that Canada’s population 5.2 per cent over a five-year period to 36.9 million, the fastest rate in the G7. StatCan also reported that Canada’s population growth actually slowed down during the pandemic.
The United States Dollar Index was down 0.13 of a point at 95.51.
Crude oil prices were caught between tight supply and progressing talks between the U.S. and Iran over a new nuclear deal. Brent crude oil increased US$0.30 per barrel at US$91.08. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) added US$0.29 to US$89.65/barrel. Meanwhile, Western Canadian Select (WCS) slipped US$0.11 to US$75.65/barrel.
The TSX/S&P Composite Index had a big boost, rising 206.75 points to 21,583.93.
Gold was flat, declining US$0.20 per ounce to US$1,827.70.
