USD/CAD trades on a weaker note above the 1.3500 mark, eyes on Canadian Retail Sales data

• USD/CAD trades in negative territory around 1.3523 amid the softer USD. 
• The US S&P Global Manufacturing PMI increased to 52.5 in March vs. 52.2 prior, stronger than expected. 
• The Bank of Canada expects to begin cutting interest rates this year, although policymakers vary on the precise timing. 

The USD/CAD pair trades on a weaker note above the 1.3500 mark during the early Asian trading hours on Friday. The decline of the US Dollar (USD) below the 104.00 mark weighs on the pair. At the press time, USD/CAD is trading at 1.3523, losing 0.05% on the day. 

The Federal Reserve (Fed) held steady on interest rates at its March meeting on Wednesday and maintained its forecast for three interest rate cuts this year. During a press conference, Fed Chair Jerome Powell noted that a strong jobs market wouldn’t deter the central bank from cutting rates. 

On Thursday, the US S&P Global Manufacturing PMI increased to 52.5 in March from 52.2 in February, above the estimation of 51.7. The Services PMI eased to 51.7 in March from the previous reading of 52.3, below the market, consensus of 52.0. Finally, the Composite PMI arrived at 52.2 in March versus 52.5 prior.  

On the Loonie front, the Bank of Canada (BoC) Summary of Deliberations from its March meeting showed that the governing council agreed that if the economy continues to evolve “in line with the Bank’s projection, the conditions for rate cuts should materialize over the course of this year. However, the timing of rate cuts remains uncertain. The BoC Governor Tiff Macklem said the central bank did not want to move too quickly, only to have to reverse course later.

Moving on, the Canadian Retail Sales for January is due on Friday, which is estimated to decline by 0.4% MoM. The Fed Chair Jerome Powell and Michael Barr are set to speak on Friday.