Canadian Financial Close: Loonie rises, crude oil mixed

WINNIPEG – The Canadian dollar took a big jump on Thursday.

The loonie closed at US$0.7371 or US$1=C$1.3566, compared to US$0.7344 or US$1=C$1.3616 on Wednesday.

The United States Dollar Index added 0.07 of a point at 101.41. The Federal Reserve announced a 25-basis point hike to its key interest rates on Wednesday.

Crude oil was mixed on Thursday after major losses over the past two days. Brent crude oil added US$0.07 per barrel to US$72.40. Meanwhile, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) shed US$0.07 at US$68.53/barrel.

The TSX/S&P Composite Index lost 116.49 points to close at 20,238.19.

Gold gained US$21.90 at US$2,058.90 per ounce.

Canada’s agricultural sector fared as follows:

Buhler Ind.                      unchanged      at $  2.27

Farmer’s Edge Inc.               unchanged      at $  0.18

Linamar Corp.                    dn  $ 2.02     at $ 63.08

Maple Leaf Foods                 dn  $ 0.50     at $ 27.11

Nutrien Ltd.                     dn  $ 5.75     at $ 85.61

Ritchie Bros Auctioneers Inc.    dn  $ 1.18     at $ 75.50

(All figures are in Canadian dollars.)