USD/CAD flirts with weekly low, around 1.3500 mark amid modest USD weakness

The USD/CAD pair struggles to capitalize on the Asian session uptick on Thursday and languishes near the 1.3500 psychological mark, just above a one-week low touched the previous day.

Mixed signals on the Federal Reserve's (Fed) rate-cut path fail to assist the US Dollar (USD) to register any meaningful recovery from its lowest level since early February, which, in turn, is seen acting as a headwind for the USD/CAD pair. Fed Chair Jerome Powell told US lawmakers on Wednesday that the central bank will cut interest rates this year, though wants to see more evidence that inflation is falling to the 2% target. Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari, however, downplayed speculations about more aggressive policy easing and said that he may reduce the number of cuts this year, possibly to only one in the wake of the incoming stronger US macro data.

The Canadian Dollar (CAD), on the other hand, continues to draw support from a hawkish hold from the Bank of Canada (BoC) on Wednesday. Meanwhile, subdued Crude Oil prices do little to provide any meaningful impetus to the commodity-linked Loonie. Furthermore, the yield on the benchmark 10-year US government bond rebounds from a one-month low touched on Wednesday, which, along with a generally softer tone around the equity markets, acts as a tailwind for the safe-haven buck. This, in turn, should help limit any meaningful downside for the USD/CAD pair and warrants some caution before positioning for any further depreciating move.

Moving ahead, investors now look to Fed Chair Powell's second day of testimony before the Senate Banking Committee. Apart from this, traders will take cues from Thursday's economic docket – featuring the US Weekly Initial Jobless Claims, and Trade Balance figures from the US and Canada. This, along with the US bond yields and the broader risk sentiment, will influence the USD demand and provide some impetus to the USD/CAD pair.