TORONTO, May 9 (Reuters) – Canadian telecoms provider Telus
Corp promised three more years of dividend growth on
Thursday as it reported a 13 percent rise in quarterly profit,
results that outshone cross-Canada rival BCE Inc.

Both companies scored in the fast-growing wireless space as
consumers grasp for the latest smartphones to stream video and
other data. But Telus also managed to increase its fixed-line
business on the back of its Optik TV product and it raised its
2013 dividend by 11.5 percent.

TORONTO (Reuters) – The Canadian dollar is expected to weaken against the greenback in the year ahead, a Reuters poll showed on Wednesday, with some forecasters citing concern about the economy’s slow rate of growth compared to that of the United States.

The median forecast in the poll of 51 economists and foreign exchange strategists saw the Canadian dollar trading at C$1.01 to the U.S. dollar in one and six months from now.

TORONTO, May 8 (Reuters) – Canadian housing starts slipped
in April from March, led in part by a pullback in Ontario
condo-building, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp said on
Wednesday, in the latest report to indicate the country’s once
hot housing market is cooling.

The seasonally adjusted annualized rate of housing starts
was 174,858 units in April, down from 181,146 in March. The
March figure was revised down from the 184,028 units reported a
month earlier.

TORONTO, May 3 (Reuters) – The Canadian dollar gained
slightly on its U.S. counterpart and jumped versus other major
currencies on Friday, as both North American currencies were
boosted by a U.S. labor market report showing hiring rose more
than expected in April.

The loonie, as Canada’s currency is colloquially known,
ended the week 0.9 percent stronger against the greenback,
helped by a decent showing on domestic growth early in the week
and the surprisingly robust U.S. jobs data on Friday.

TORONTO, May 3 (Reuters) – The Canadian dollar was slightly
weaker against its U.S. counterpart on Friday, as the greenback
strengthened against most major currencies after data showed
U.S. employment rose more than expected in April.

But the loonie, as Canada’s currency is colloquially known,
strengthened sharply against the euro, knocking off
almost a cent after the jobs data to trade around C$1.3175
versus the common currency.

TORONTO, May 2 (Reuters) – The Canadian dollar weakened late
on Thursday against its U.S. counterpart after the Canadian
government surprised investors by naming Stephen Poloz, head of
the country’s export credit agency, as the new governor of the
central bank.

Poloz, who spent 14 years at the Bank of Canada earlier in
his career, had been widely seen as the second most likely pick,
with Bank of Canada senior deputy Tiff Macklem the favored
candidate. Poloz has been at Export Development Canada since
1999 and its president since 2010.