Canadian dollar flat ahead of CPI, US retail sales

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<li>Canada’s inflation expected to ease</li>
<li>US retail sales projected to improve</li>
</ul>
<p>The Canadian dollar is almost unchanged on Tuesday, trading at 1.3204. USD/CAD should show some life in the North American session, with the release of Canadian inflation and US retail sales.</p>
<p><strong>Will Canada’s core inflation fall?</strong></p>
<p>Canada releases the June inflation report later today, and the Bank of Canada will be hoping for good news. On an annualized basis, headline inflation is expected to drop to 3.0%, down from 3.4% in June, while the core rate is projected to fall from 3.7% to 3.5%. On a monthly basis, the markets are expecting mixed news. CPI is expected to tick lower to 0.3%, down from 0.4% but core CPI is projected to rise from 0.4% to 0.5%.</p>
<p>The Bank of Canada raised rates by 0.25% last week, which brought the benchmark cash rate to 5.0%. The BoC will have some time to monitor the economy, with the next rate meeting on September 6th. The BoC would like to take a pause in September but may have to wait until later in the year if the economy does not show further signs of cooling before the September meeting.</p>
<p><strong>US retail sales expected to climb</strong></p>
<p>The US economy is by and large in good shape, despite aggressive tightening by the Federal Reserve in order to curb high inflation. A key driver behind the economy’s strong performance has been consumer spending, which accounts for two-thirds of economic activity.</p>
<p>The US releases the June retail sales report later today, with expectations that consumers remain in a spending mood. The consensus estimate for headline retail sales is 0.5% m/m, up from 0.3%, and the core rate is expected to rise 0.3%, up from 0.1%.</p>
<p>The retail sales release is unlikely to change expectations that the Fed will raise rates at the July 27th meeting, with a 96% chance of a hike, according to the CME Tool Watch. However, an unexpected reading could lead to a repricing of a September rate hike, which has just a 14% probability.</p>
<p>.</p>
<p><strong>USD/CAD Technical</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>There is resistance at 1.3205 and 1.3318</li>
<li>1.3106 and 1.3049 are providing support</li>
</ul>
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