The Canadian dollar was little changed against most major rivals on Friday following mixed data.

Earlier government data showed retail sales fell 0.4% last month as expected, while core sales, excluding food and energy, rose 0.5%, as analysts expected a 0.1%% dip.

On trading, the CAD/USD pair fell 0.1% today as of 20:43 GMT  to 0.7214.

Sterling

The GBP/USD pair fell  0.1% as of 20:44 GMT to $1.3330.

US Dollar

The dollar index rose 0.1% today to 99.5, with a  session-high at 99.8, and  a low at 99.4.

Wall Street was boosted recently as the trade war risks receded after US President Donald Trump signalled a potential lessening of tariffs on Chinese goods.

A Bloomberg report also indicated the Chinese government is considering tariff exemptions for some US products.

The Consumer Confidence index from the University of Michigan dropped 8.4% this month to 52.2 from March’s 57.

Most US stock indices fell on Friday as investors pore over the latest corporate earnings results.

Wall Street was boosted recently as the trade war risks receded after US President Donald Trump signalled a potential lessening of tariffs on Chinese goods.

A Bloomberg report also indicated the Chinese government is considering tariff exemptions for some US products.

This week, quarterly results by Tesla, IBM, Alphabet, and Intel were released, and were mostly positive, but they all gave up weak forecasts for this year.

On trading, Dow Jones fell 0.6% as of 16:01 GMT, or 246 points to 39,847 points, while S&P 500 rose 0.1%, or 5 points to 5478 points, as NASDAQ added 0.2%, or 33 points to 17,199 points.

Bitcoin rose on Friday and expanded the gains for the seventh straight session, scaling eight-week highs and on track for the biggest weekly profit in 2025.

The gains come amid positive sentiment after major global corporations announced new bitcoin purchases, while risk appetite improved in most markets as the US-China trade tensions calmed down.

The Price

Bitcoin rose 1.1% at Bitstamp today to $95,011, the highest since March 2, with a session-low at $92,891.

On Thursday, bitcoin rose 0.3%, the sixth profit in a row, marking the longest such streak of gains since January.

Crypto Market Value

The market value of cryptocurrencies rose $40 billion today to $3.065 trillion.

Weekly Trades

Bitcoin is up 12% so far this week, on track for the third weekly profit in a row, and the largest since late 2025.

Institutional Investments

Both MicroStrategy and MetaPlanet continued to expand their bitcoin holdings, reflecting institutional confidence in the cryptocurrency despite recent volatility.

MicroStrategy’s chairman Micheal Saylor announced the purchase of 6556 bitcoins between April 14 and 20, spending $555.85 million, with the company now owning 538,200 bitcoins in total, averaging $67,828 per unit, and bringing the total value to $36.50 billion.

Similarly, Japan’s MetaPlanet purchased 330 units of bitcoin between April 14 and 21 at a value of $28.25 million, bringing their total holdings to 4855 units with a total value of $405.90 million.

Global Markets

The global financial markets were boosted recently as US President Donald Trump sought to reassure investors on Powell and China.

He said he doesn’t intend to sack Fed Chair Jerome Powell despite his disappointment at the slow pace of policy easing.

He also signalled plans to reduce the China tariffs as both sides are gearing towards a trade deal to end trade hostilities.

China as well is considering tariff exemptions for some US products according to reports.

Gold prices fell in European trade on Friday away from recent record highs, and on track for a weekly loss in profit-taking, while the dollar rebounds against major rivals.

Prices are also pressured by reduced haven demand on news that China might suspend some tariffs on US imports, boosting optimism about the success of trade negotiations.

The Price

Gold prices fell 1.5%  today to $3299 an ounce, with a session-high at $3370.

On Thursday, gold rose 1.9%, resuming losses and approaching a record high at $3500.

Weekly Trades

Gold prices are down 0.9% so far this week on track for the first weekly loss in three weeks.

The Dollar

The dollar index rose 0.6% on Friday, resuming gains against a basket of major rivals and making dollar-denominated gold futures costlier to holders of other currencies.

The dollar’s rebound comes after recent positive statements by Trump on Fed Chair Jerome, asserting he won’t sack him and calming concerns in the financial markets.

Additionally, recent signals that US trade talks with Japan, South Korea, and other partners are progressing also boosted market sentiment.

Trade Developments

Reports indicated that China is considering tariff exemptions for some US products.

Chinese officials also asked the US to remove unilateral tariffs on China as a prerequisite for any trade negotiations. 

Trump already stated that trade talks are currently ongoing with China, despite the latter’s assertions that no official talks are currently taking place.

US Rates

Several Fed officials recently signalled there’s no need to cut interest rates soon as the Fed continues to analyze new data to gauge the impact of US tariffs on the economy.

According to the Fedwatch tool, the odds of a 0.25% Fed interest rate cut stand at only 7%, while the odds of such a cut in June stand at 62%.

SPDR

Gold holdings at the SPDR Gold Trust fell 0.58 tons yesterday to a total of 948.56 tons.