After sinking two full cents against the US dollar last week, the Canadian dollar had gained back about half a penny in early Monday morning trading. Global markets in general are taking a breather after a statement from Iran indicated that military action has ‘concluded’. While markets are still expecting an Israeli response, for the time being, it is not a pressing concern.

The Canadian Dollar had another volatile day on Friday. The USD/CAD saw significant gains against the USD on Thursday, touching 1.3480, after Fed Chairman Powell suggested that the Fed still anticipates cutting rates this year despite the strong US economy. Then, on Friday morning, the combination of a spectacular US employment report and a weak Canadian employment report sent the Canadian dollar on a nosedive versus the US Dollar, dropping all the way down to the 1.3640 mark.

Since late December of last year, the Canadian dollar has been trading in a tight range between approximal 1.34 to 1.36 versus the US dollar. The USD/CAD currency pair has attempted numerous times to push past the 1.36 range, but it has failed to do so in a sustained manner. There are a couple of reasons why the USD/CAD pair has been trading in a tight range.

The US dollar surged this Monday after the release of the manufacturing survey, which indicated that activity in the manufacturing sector expanded for the first time in over a year…