Loonie takes flight, TSX ends week in red

Stock indexes in Canada and the U.S. closed down Friday on geopolitical tensions, while the loonie surged higher after Statistics Canada said the inflation rate jumped in June.

Data from June showed the country’s annual inflation rate rose to 2.5 per cent for the month, up from a 2.2 per cent reading in May to hit its highest mark in more than six years.

A separate release showed retail trade expanded by two per cent in May, thanks to stronger sales at vehicle and auto parts dealers as well as gas stations.

The combined indicators helped push the Canadian dollar up 0.65 of a U.S. cent to average 76.09 cents US as it improves the likelihood of another interest rate hike, said Philip Petursson, Chief Investment Strategist at Manulife Investments.

“With the retail data that came out and the inflation data that came out, it would lead to a conclusion that the Bank of Canada could continue to raise rates, and an October rate hike is on the table.”

Weakness in the U.S. dollar following U.S. President Donald Trump’s questioning of federal reserve rate decisions also helped the loonie, Petursson said.

Trump’s comments on potentially more tariffs against Chinese goods also weighed on markets with both Toronto and New York markets down, though investors continue to struggle to decide how much weight to put on them, he said.

The S&P/TSX composite index closed down 107.55 points at 16435.46, with all major indexes in the red. For the week, the index was down 0.76 per cent as concerns about auto sector tariffs and slides in commodity prices put pressure on it.

In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average closed down 6.38 points at 25058.12. The S&P 500 index was down 2.66 points at 2801.83 and the Nasdaq composite index closed down 5.10 points at 7820.20.

The slight pullback in markets came as positive earnings and other indicators came up against increased political uncertainty, Petursson said.

He said U.S. investors have been selling some of their positions in mutual funds and exchange-traded funds and putting their cash aside as the continued uncertainty weighs.

The September crude contract closed up two cents at $68.26 US per barrel and the August natural gas contract ended down a penny at $2.76 US per mmBTU.

The August gold contract closed up $7.10 at $1,231.10 US an ounce and the September copper contract was up six cents at $2.76 US a pound.