empty
30.04.2025 01:09 PM
Canadian Dollar Preparing for a Breakout

Retail sales in Canada fell by 0.4% month-over-month in February but rebounded in March with a strong increase of 0.7%. On a year-over-year basis, retail sales declined to 4.7% in February, down from a revised 5.3% in January.

Retail sales in Canada fell by 0.4% month-over-month in February but rebounded in March with a strong increase of 0.7%. On a year-over-year basis, retail sales declined to 4.7% in February, down from a revised 5.3% in January. One of the drivers of increased spending was concern over new U.S. tariffs, which prompted consumers to stock up in advance—therefore, spending is likely to show a decline going forward.

This image is no longer relevant

Today, GDP data for Canada covering February and March will be published, though it is unlikely to have a significant market impact. Instead, the market will be watching the release of the initial U.S. GDP estimate with much greater interest, followed by the U.S. jobs report on Friday. Canada's GDP showed steady growth throughout 2024, but the uncertainty that emerged after the onset of trade wars could erase all the gains.

Even a slight slowdown in Canadian GDP growth may turn out to be inconsequential, as the first estimate of U.S. Q1 GDP—due today—could show a much worse result. If pessimistic expectations are confirmed, a spike in volatility is inevitable and will likely lead to another wave of U.S. dollar selling.

Canada has held its federal elections, with Liberal leader Mark Carney winning by a narrow margin, as expected. Carney previously served as Governor of both the Bank of England and the Bank of Canada. He is considered a political heavyweight, and his main task is believed to be helping Canada withstand pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump. "America wants our land, our resources, our water, our country," Carney said in his victory speech. "These are not empty threats. President Trump is trying to break us so that America can own us. That will never, ever happen."

The loonie barely reacted to the election results but is expected to respond to Carney's subsequent actions. Since he won by a narrow margin, he will be forced to form a minority government, which is likely to put some pressure on the CAD. However, a large-scale sell-off of the Canadian dollar seems unlikely at this stage.

The Bank of Canada will hold its next meeting on June 4, which leaves ample time to assess both Carney's initial steps and the overall state of the economy. At its last meeting, the BoC kept the rate unchanged at 2.75%, and if incoming data proves weak, further rate cuts may follow, putting additional pressure on the Canadian dollar.

The net short position on the CAD dropped by a notable $1.15 billion over the reporting week, to –$4.86 billion. The reduction has been particularly pronounced over the past two weeks, and while speculative positioning still favors the U.S. dollar, the fair value has finally diverged from the long-term average with a clear intention to move lower.

This image is no longer relevant

We expect USD/CAD to move lower from current levels toward the 1.3410–1.3430 range. The pair spent the past week in consolidation, but a likely upward correction following a fairly strong decline never occurred, meaning the risk of a corrective bounce remains. The strong resistance zone at 1.4130–1.4160 is unlikely to be reached—resuming the downtrend would require a strong catalyst, which could arrive today following the release of a broad set of U.S. economic statistics.

Kuvat Raharjo,
Analytical expert of InstaForex
© 2007-2025
Select timeframe
5
min
15
min
30
min
1
hour
4
hours
1
day
1
week
Earn on cryptocurrency rate changes with InstaForex
Download MetaTrader 4 and open your first trade
  • Grand Choice
    Contest by
    InstaForex
    InstaForex always strives to help you
    fulfill your biggest dreams.
    JOIN CONTEST

Recommended Stories

EUR/USD: Weak Dollar Meets Indecisive Euro

The EUR/USD pair has consolidated above the 1.1200 level, reflecting the overall weakening of the U.S. dollar. The "bearish attack" we witnessed last week ended in failure. EUR/USD sellers were

Irina Manzenko 19:35 2025-05-20 UTC+2

Euro Exhausts Bullish Momentum

Inflation in the eurozone remained unchanged in April compared to March, fully in line with forecasts—2.2% year-over-year for the headline index, and 2.7% year-over-year for the core index. This inflation

Kuvat Raharjo 19:16 2025-05-20 UTC+2

AUD/NZD. Analysis and Forecast

The AUD/NZD pair is declining, drawing seller interest following the Reserve Bank of Australia's (RBA) decision to lower the official cash rate (OCR) by 25 basis points to 3.85%. Although

Irina Yanina 19:09 2025-05-20 UTC+2

USD/CAD. Current Market Situation Amid Mixed Fundamental Background

The pair is under pressure, trading within the familiar range established earlier. At the moment, the fundamental background is mixed. Crude oil prices are struggling to attract significant buyers, especially

Irina Yanina 19:07 2025-05-20 UTC+2

DXY. The U.S. Dollar Continues to Struggle

Today, the U.S. Dollar Index (DXY), which tracks the dollar's performance against a basket of currencies, is trading near its weekly low, continuing to fight for relevance. The lack

Irina Yanina 19:04 2025-05-20 UTC+2

The Dollar Is Back to Its Old Ways

Markets thrive on conspiracy theories more than anything else. Investors continue to believe that Donald Trump wants a weak dollar to boost the competitiveness of American manufacturers. It's no surprise

Marek Petkovich 18:54 2025-05-20 UTC+2

AUD/USD. RBA Delivers Dovish Scenario, but It's Too Early to Rush into Selling

The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) followed the most expected scenario at its May meeting, cutting the interest rate by 25 basis points. However, AUD/USD sellers remain vulnerable

Irina Manzenko 11:44 2025-05-20 UTC+2

Financial Markets Still Gripped by Uncertainty (Potential Decline in #USDX and Gold Prices)

Despite the 90-day truce between Beijing and Washington, market conditions remain extremely tense. Investors are uncertain about what will happen after three months—whether Donald Trump will hike tariffs again

Pati Gani 09:42 2025-05-20 UTC+2

The Market Ignores Warning Signs

When a crowd identifies a leader, it relentlessly pushes forward, clearing everything in its way. Retail investors heeded Morgan Stanley's call to "buy the dip" and began snapping up U.S

Marek Petkovich 09:11 2025-05-20 UTC+2

GBP/USD Overview – May 20: The British Pound Keeps Basking in the Sunlight

The GBP/USD currency pair traded higher on Monday, and we can "thank" the Moody's rating agency for that. As noted in the EUR/USD review, the U.S. credit rating was downgraded

Paolo Greco 07:31 2025-05-20 UTC+2
Can't speak right now?
Ask your question in the chat.
Widget callback
 

Dear visitor,

Your IP address shows that you are currently located in the USA. If you are a resident of the United States, you are prohibited from using the services of InstaFintech Group including online trading, online transfers, deposit/withdrawal of funds, etc.

If you think you are seeing this message by mistake and your location is not the US, kindly proceed to the website. Otherwise, you must leave the website in order to comply with government restrictions.

Why does your IP address show your location as the USA?

  • - you are using a VPN provided by a hosting company based in the United States;
  • - your IP does not have proper WHOIS records;
  • - an error occurred in the WHOIS geolocation database.

Please confirm whether you are a US resident or not by clicking the relevant button below. If you choose the wrong option, being a US resident, you will not be able to open an account with InstaForex anyway.

We are sorry for any inconvenience caused by this message.