What Is Driving the CAD Today
The Canadian Dollar — sometimes called the "loonie" after the bird on the Canadian dollar coin — is one of the major commodity currencies. Canada is the fourth-largest oil producer in the world and oil is its single biggest export by value. That makes CAD direction a function of two main inputs: where WTI crude oil is trading, and what the Bank of Canada is doing with rates.
On top of those two, CAD is heavily influenced by US economic data because the US is Canada's largest trading partner. A strong US ISM print is often more bullish for CAD than for USD itself, because it implies strong US demand for Canadian exports. This is why USD/CAD can stay range-bound for months while WTI and US data fight each other for influence.
Bank of Canada — The Central Bank Behind the CAD
The Bank of Canada sets policy via 8 fixed announcement dates per year. Each decision is followed by a Monetary Policy Report (4 times a year) and a press conference with Governor Tiff Macklem. The BoC was the first major central bank to cut rates in the 2024 cycle and has historically led the Fed in both directions. Markets pay close attention to BoC business outlook surveys and quarterly forecasts because they are well-correlated with future policy moves.
What the BoC watches most
- Canadian CPI inflation (released around the 21st of each month)
- Canadian core inflation measures — CPI-trim, CPI-median, CPI-common
- Canadian employment report (usually released same day as US NFP at 1:30pm GMT)
- Canadian retail sales and GDP monthly print
- BoC Business Outlook Survey — quarterly, leading indicator for policy
What Moves the CAD Most
These are the things that move CAD by the most on a typical day:
- WTI crude oil price moves — biggest day-to-day driver; CAD strengthens when oil rallies
- BoC rate decisions and Macklem pressers — 8 times a year; usually 60–100 pip USD/CAD moves
- Canadian CPI inflation — monthly catalyst; the BoC watches the trim and median measures closely
- Canadian and US employment reports (same day) — first Friday of the month at 1:30pm GMT — double-header for USD/CAD
- OPEC+ meetings and oil supply news — production cuts move oil and CAD with it
Best Pairs to Trade CAD Sentiment
The cleanest CAD pairs to trade: