* C$ at C$1.0441 vs US$, or 95.78 U.S. cents
* Fed official's comments boost greenback
* Canadian bond prices slip
By Alastair Sharp
TORONTO, Nov 5 (Reuters) - The Canadian dollar weakened
against the U.S. currency on Tuesday after an official from the
U.S. Federal Reserve said the central bank could keep interest
rates near zero into 2016.
Relatively slow growth was easily imaginable, Boston Fed
President Eric Rosengren said on CNBC television, though he
added that economic growth could near 3 percent by early next
year.
"That's more hawkish, so the (U.S.) dollar has just turned
here," said Steve Butler, director of foreign exchange trading
at Scotiabank. "That's really what kicked it off."
The Canadian dollar was trading at C$1.0441 to the
greenback, or 95.78 U.S. cents, compared with C$1.0418, or 95.99
U.S. cents, at Monday's North American close.
Butler said the comments could push the greenback higher,
but that it would face selling interest around C$1.0460 and then
a large number of options expiries around C$1.0475 and C$1.05.
"It's going to take some ammo to get us through the top
side, that's for sure," he said.
U.S. gross domestic product data for the third quarter is
due on Thursday and will illustrate the momentum in the economy
before last month's partial government shutdown.
The two-year bond was off half a Canadian cent to
yield 1.120 percent, while the benchmark 10-year bond
fell 10 Canadian cents to yield 2.508 percent.