USD/CAD posts modest gains below the 1.3500 barrier, investors await US Retail Sales data

The USD/CAD pair posts modest gains below the 1.3500 mark during the early Asian session on Wednesday. The stronger-than-expected US inflation number weighs on market sentiment and provides some support for the pair. The US February Retail Sales will be the highlight for this week, which is projected to improve to 0.8% MoM. USD/CAD currently trades near 1.3492, adding 0.01% for the day.  

The US inflation, as measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI), unexpectedly increased to 3.2% YoY in February, keeping the Federal Reserve (Fed) on course to wait at least until the summer before starting to cut interest rates. Additionally, the Core CPI, excluding volatile food and energy prices, rose 0.4% MoM and 3.8% YoY, stronger than the estimation. The February CPI inflation data will play an important role in the Fed’s rate forecast. Investors anticipate the US central bank to keep rates between 5.25% and 5.5% in its March meeting scheduled for next week. 

On the Loonie front, analysts are concerned about the economic slowdown in the Canadian economy. Moody’s Analytics stated that the Bank of Canada (BoC) is at risk of weakening the economy by not cutting interest rates sooner. Earlier this month, the BoC left the interest rate unchanged at 5% for the fifth consecutive meeting. The BoC governor Tiff Macklem said that core inflation remains a concern and emphasized that it was premature to talk about rate cuts.

Looking ahead, Canada’s Manufacturing Sales, Housing Starts, and Wholesale Sales for January will be published on Thursday. On the US docket, Retail Sales for February will be a closely watched event this week. This event could give a clear direction to the USD/CAD pair.