USD/CAD tumbles below 1.3700 as the US Dollar gets battered

• USD/CAD drops as Japanese authorities confirmed an intervention, selling US Dollars.
• San Francisco Fed Mary Daly said further tightening is needed while laying the ground for lower rate hikes.
• Canada’s Retail Sales in August exceeded estimates, contrarily for September, with expectations at -0.5%.

The USD/CAD tumbled from around daily highs of 1.3850 towards the 1.3660s area as US Treasury bond yields dropped on news that Fed officials are looking to slow the pace of interest-rate increases at December’s meeting. Additionally, speculation of Japanese authorities intervening mounted as the USD/JPY tumbled from 151.60 to its daily low of 147.16. At the time of writing, the USD/CAD is trading at 1.3662.

US equities are trading in the green as a Fed pivot lurks. An article in the WSJ commented that Fed officials are assessing the size of December’s rate hike, as a 75 bps in November is most likely. Echoing those comments, San Francisco Fed President Mary Daly said that more tightening is needed while adding that “we (Fed) don’t just keep going up at 75 bps increments” on Friday. She noted that slowing rates should be considered  “at this point.”

On Thursday, Philadelphia Fed President Patrick Harker and Fed’s newest board member Lisa Cook said the Fed would need to keep hiking interest rates. He added that he is “disappointed with the lack of progress curtailing inflation” and expects rates to be above 4% in 2023.

The absence of Us economic data left traders adrift in Thursday’s releases. US economic data, namely, unemployment claims, rose less than estimates, flashing the tightness of the labor market. Additionally, the Philadelphie Fed Manufacturing Index improved in October but was below estimates, hovering below zero for 5 consecutive months.

On the Canadian side, the calendar featured Retail Sales, which increased by 0.7% in August, above 0.2% estimates, while estimates for September are down 0.5%. Also underpinning the Canadian dollar was oil prices, with WTI up 0.09% at $85.25 a barrel, on higher demand by China and OPEC and its allies cuts.

USD/CAD Key Technical Levels