USD/CAD flat lines around 1.3575 area amid dovish Fed inspired-USD selling bias

• USD/CAD struggles to attract any meaningful buyers amid broad-based USD weakness.
• Bets for a larger Fed rate cut, along with a positive risk tone, weigh heavily on the buck.
• This week’s stronger recovery in Oil prices underpins the Loonie and acts as a headwind.

The USD/CAD pair reverses a modest Asian session dip and currently trades around the 1.3575 region, nearly unchanged for the day, though any meaningful appreciating move still seems elusive. 

The US Dollar (USD) sinks to over a one-week low amid growing expectations for an oversized interest rate cut by the Federal Reserve (Fed) next week, bolstered by signs of easing inflationary pressures in the US. In fact, data published on Thursday showed that the annual headline Producer Price Index (PPI) decelerated to 1.7% from the previous month's downwardly revised reading of 2.1%. Adding to this, the core PPI, which excludes volatile food and energy prices, missed consensus estimates and came in 2.4% YoY during the reported month. 

The markets were quick to react and are now pricing in over 40% chance that the US central bank will lower borrowing costs by 50 basis points at its policy meeting on September 17-18. This keeps the US Treasury bond yields depressed near the 2024 low, which, along with a positive risk tone, weighs on the USD and acts as a headwind for the USD/CAD pair. Furthermore, this week's goodish recovery in Crude Oil prices, from the lowest level since June 2023, should underpin the commodity-linked Loonie and contribute to capping spot prices. 

Market participants now look forward to Friday's economic docket – featuring the release of the Preliminary Michigan US Consumer Sentiment Index and second-tier data from Canada. Apart from this, the US bond yields and the broader risk sentiment might influence the USD demand, which, along with Oil price dynamics, could allow traders to grab short-term opportunities around the USD/CAD pair. Nevertheless, spot prices seem poised to register modest weekly gains, though bulls need to wait for acceptance above the 1.3600 mark before placing fresh bets.