(Adds strategist quotes and details throughout; updates prices)
* Canadian dollar strengthens 0.6% against the greenback
* Touches its strongest since March 18 at 1.2383
* Price of U.S. oil settles 0.4% lower
* Canadian bond yields rise across a steeper curve
By Fergal Smith
TORONTO, April 26 (Reuters) - The Canadian dollar
strengthened to its highest level in nearly six weeks against
its U.S. counterpart on Monday, as investors focused on
underlying factors supportive of the currency and awaited a
Federal Reserve policy decision later this week.
The loonie was trading 0.6% higher at 1.2400 to the
greenback, or 80.65 U.S. cents, having touched its strongest
intraday level since March 18 at 1.2383.
"What we are getting at this point is a realignment in terms
of the Canadian dollar," said Eric Theoret, global macro
strategist at Manulife Investment Management. "The current
levels that we are at right now are still much weaker than where
you would expect them to be based on fundamentals."
Higher commodity prices and a more hawkish Bank of Canada
are among the factors supportive of the loonie, Theoret said.
The central bank last week signaled it could start hiking
interest rates next year and cut the pace of bond purchases.
In contrast, most analysts expect Fed Chair Jerome Powell to
say on Wednesday that talk of withdrawing monetary support for
the U.S. economy is premature, which could put downward pressure
on Treasury yields and the U.S. dollar .
Speculators have raised their bullish bets on the Canadian
dollar to the highest in seven weeks, data from the U.S.
Commodity Futures Trading Commission showed on Friday.
The price of oil , one of Canada's major exports,
settled 0.4% lower at $61.91 a barrel, pressured by fears that
surging COVID-19 cases in India will dent fuel demand in the
world's third-biggest oil importer.
Canadian government bond yields rose across a steeper curve.
The 10-year was up 1.5 basis points at 1.532%.
Canadian retail sales data for February is due on Wednesday,
while GDP data for the same month is due on Friday.
(Reporting by Fergal Smith; Editing by Ken Ferris and Paul
Simao)
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