WINNIPEG – The Canadian dollar ended the week on a down note after the release of underwhelming retail data from Statistics Canada.
The loonie was at US$0.7853 or US$1=C$1.2734 on Friday, down from Thursday’s close of US$0.7877 or US$1=C$1.2695. Canada’s central data agency reported on Friday that retail sales dropped by 1.8 per cent last December to C$57 billion. Disruptions caused by the Omicron COVID-19 variant and flooding in British Columbia and Atlantic Canada were the main factors.
The U.S. Dollar Index was up 0.29 of a point to 96.09.
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Benchmark crude oil prices were mixed on Friday despite growing fears of a Russian invasion of Ukraine. Brent crude oil increased US$0.80 per barrel to US$93.77. Meanwhile, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil was down US$0.14 to US$91.62/barrel. Western Canadian Select (WCS) crude oil dipped US$0.11 at US$77.36/barrel.
The TSX/S&P Composite Index took a plunge, ending the day with a loss of 168.13 points to 21,008.20.
Gold declined US$2.60 per ounce to US$1,899.40.
Canada’s agricultural sector fared as follows:
Buhler Ind. unchanged at $ 3.01
Farmer’s Edge Inc. dn $ 0.06 at $ 3.78
Linamar Corp. dn $ 0.53 at $ 67.35
Maple Leaf Foods dn $ 0.01 at $ 32.31
Nutrien Ltd. dn $ 1.34 at $ 96.69
Ritchie Bros Auctioneers Inc. dn $ 7.45 at $ 65.43
(All figures are in Canadian dollars.)
