Reuters
The Canadian dollar strengthened against its U.S. counterpart on Thursday, clawing back some recent declines, as faster-than-expected growth in the domestic economy reduced pressure on the Bank of Canada to cut interest rates in the coming months. The loonie was trading 0.2% higher at 1.3535 to the U.S. dollar, or 73.88 U.S. cents after trading in a range of 1.3526 to 1.3613. Canada's gross domestic product increased 0.6% in January from December, its fastest growth rate in a year, led by a bounce back in education services as public sector strikes ended in Quebec.