By Chris Fournier Dec. 4 (Bloomberg) -- Canada’s dollar gained against its U.S. counterpart after a government report showed employers added more jobs last month than economists forecast, adding pressure on the central bank to raise interest rates. The Canadian currency appreciated 0.9 percent to C$1.0483 per U.S. dollar at 7:03 a.m. in Toronto, from C$1.0574 yesterday. The economy added 79,100 jobs after shedding 43,200 in October, Statistics Canada said today in Ottawa. The median forecast of 20 economists in a Bloomberg survey was for an increase of 15,000. Canada’s unemployment rate fell to 8.5 percent, from 8.6 percent in October. Traders are betting on which countries will be the first to raise interest rates as the global economy shows signs of emerging from the worst recession in more than half a century. Investors tend to favor the currencies of nations whose borrowing costs are rising because yields are higher. Bank of Canada policy makers left the overnight lending rate at a record low 0.25 percent at their last meeting in October and reiterated a pledge to hold it there through June 2010, barring a change in the inflation outlook. The rate was 4.5 percent when the bank began cutting it in December 2007. The next policy meeting is scheduled for Dec. 8. To contact the reporter on this story: Chris Fournier in Montreal at cfournier3@bloomberg.net

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