Glacier FarmMedia – The Canadian dollar looked to end the week on a high note on Friday.
The loonie was at US$0.7265 or US$1=C$1.3765 as of 8:35 a.m. CST, compared to Thursday’s close at US$0.7247 or US$1=C$1.3798.
Statistics Canada reported this morning that retail sales were up 1.3 per cent to C$70.4 billion in November. In a preliminary estimate, StatCan said retail sales could be down 0.5 per cent in December.
The United States Dollar Index shed 0.03 of a point at 98.33.
Crude oil prices jumped after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened Iran, and a Kazakhstan oilfield outage continued. West Texas Intermediate gained US$1.54 at US$60.90 per barrel. Brent crude oil rose US$1.59 at US$65.65/barrel.
The TSX/S&P Composite Index added 61.58 points at 33,064.28.
Gold resumed its monumental rise, advancing US$30.50 per ounce at US$4,943.90. Earlier today, gold reached another all-time high of US$4.970.00.
