|

USD/CAD Price Analysis: Bulls rejected by the 100-day SMA following US NFPs

  • USD/CAD reversed its course during the American session and got rejected by the 100-day SMA, falling to near 1.3335.
  • NFPs showed that job creation in July cooled down while wages increased.
  • Canada reported soft labour market and economic activity figures.

On Friday, the USD/CAD cleared daily gains and fell into negative territory as investors dumped the USD following Nonfarm Payrolls, which revealed that job creation cooled down in July. Canada also reported weak labour market data, so the factor driving the pair downwards was mainly the broad USD weakness from lower US yields.

The latest Nonfarm Payrolls report for the US presented a mix of data, painting a complex picture of the labour market. In July, the headline indicated the creation of 187,000 jobs, which fell short of the anticipated 200,000 but still exceeded the revised figure of 185,000 from previous reports. On the positive side, the Average Hourly Earnings experienced a 0.4% increase in the same month, surpassing expectations. Additionally, the yearly figure for Average Hourly Earnings rose to 4.4%.

Overall, the American labour markets flashed mixed signals during the week, but appeared to remain unbalanced while the economic activity remained resilient. This means that the Federal Reserve (Fed) may consider hiking at least one more time in the remainder of the year. Investors have opted to ignore rising wages as US yields decreased. The 2-year yield decreased by more than 1% to 4.80%, while the 5-year rate lead the decline, falling by more than 2% to 4.19%. The 10-year rate also weakened and fell to 4.11%, a sharp decline.

On the Canadian side, labour market data came in soft. In July, the number of employed people contracted by 6,400 while markets expected 21,100 newly employed workers while the unemployment rate remained steady at 5.5% YoY. Other data showed that the Ivey PMI released by the Richard Ivey School of Business, which captures business conditions in Canada, came in at 48.6 vs the 52.7 expected.

USD/CAD Levels to watch

The daily chart shows signs of bullish exhaustion for USD/CAD. The technical outlook appears neutral to bearish, with the Relative Strength Index (RSI) displaying a negative slope but staying above its midline and the Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) showing fading green bars. Moreover, the pair is above the 20-day Simple Moving Average (SMA) but below the 100 and 200-day SMAs, indicating that the bulls aren't done yet and that the outlook still favors buyers.

Resistance levels: 1.3400 (100-day SMA), 1.3454 (200-day SMA), 1.3500.
Support levels: 1.3280, 1.3250, 1.3240.

USD/CAD Daily chart

USD/CAD

Overview
Today last price1.3328
Today Daily Change-0.0025
Today Daily Change %-0.19
Today daily open1.3353
 
Trends
Daily SMA201.3221
Daily SMA501.3284
Daily SMA1001.3406
Daily SMA2001.3457
 
Levels
Previous Daily High1.3378
Previous Daily Low1.3329
Previous Weekly High1.3255
Previous Weekly Low1.3147
Previous Monthly High1.3387
Previous Monthly Low1.3093
Daily Fibonacci 38.2%1.3359
Daily Fibonacci 61.8%1.3348
Daily Pivot Point S11.3329
Daily Pivot Point S21.3304
Daily Pivot Point S31.328
Daily Pivot Point R11.3378
Daily Pivot Point R21.3403
Daily Pivot Point R31.3427

Author

Patricio Martín

Patricio is an economist from Argentina passionate about global finance and understanding the daily movements of the markets.

More from Patricio Martín
Share:

Editor's Picks

AUD/USD keeps range near 0.6950 after Australian trade data

AUD/USD consolidates near a two-month low, trading around mid-0.6900s in the Asian session on Thursday amid a bullish US Dollar. The US PCE data tempered October Fed hike bets, though oil-driven inflation fears remain supportive of elevated US bond yields. Meanwhile, Australia's trade surplus shrank sharply in August to AUD495M, having limited impact on the Aussie Dollar and the pair.


USD/JPY sits at weekly top above 158.00 as bullish USD counters intervention risks

USD/JPY is sitting at the top end of its weekly range above 158.00 in the Asian session on Thursday. Despite the softer US PCE data, oil-driven inflation risks keep US bond yields elevated near multi-year highs. Moreover, the US-Iran standoff benefits the safe-haven US Dollar and supports the pair. Broad US Dollar strength counters hawkish BoJ expectations and Japanese intervention risks.

Gold fails ahead of $4,200 as surging US yields and Iran risks lift USD closer to YTD top

Gold struggles to capitalize on a modest intraday move up to the $4,200 neighborhood, trading nearly unchanged for the day during the first half of the European session. Despite softer-than-expected US inflation data on Wednesday, US Dollar buying remains unabated as US bond yields continue scaling new multi-year highs. This is seen as a key factor undermining demand for the non-yielding bullion.

Hyperliquid pares gains as ETF outflows cap tentative bullish recovery

Hyperliquid (HYPE) is down 2% at press time on Thursday, trimming its 5% gains from the previous day. Institutional demand is easing, with $5 million in outflows on Wednesday, weighing on near-term investors' sentiment. The technical outlook for HYPE indicates a near-term mixed tone as the price remains capped below $90.

The Euro is near a one-year low: Inflation could trigger its rebound, not its fall

EUR/USD has fallen to its lowest level since May 2025, but a fresh inflation shock in the Eurozone could give the Euro an unexpected lifeline. The pair hit 1.1312 on Wednesday and trades well below the January peak of 1.2082. The decline reflects a powerful combination of US Dollar strength, geopolitical uncertainty and renewed concerns about Europe's exposure to higher energy prices.

The Euro is near a one-year low: Inflation could trigger its rebound, not its fall

EUR/USD has fallen to its lowest level since May 2025, but a fresh inflation shock in the Eurozone could give the Euro (EUR) an unexpected lifeline. The pair hit 1.1312 on Wednesday and trades well below the January peak of 1.2082.