By Ruby Madren-Britton Nov. 10 (Bloomberg) -- Canada’s dollar traded near the strongest level in more than two weeks as crude oil, the nation’s biggest export, rose above $80 a barrel. “Oil cracking $80 is always good news for the Canadian dollar, and that is helping the Canadian dollar outperform today -- that’s the main driver right now,” said Eric Lascelles, Toronto-based chief economist and strategist at Toronto-Dominion Bank, the nation’s second-biggest lender. “It’s a bit of a vacuum today with not much significant economic data. With the currency left to its own devices there can be some swings.” The Canadian currency earlier fell amid speculation its 1.9 percent advance yesterday, the biggest rise since May, was too rapid to be sustained. It gained today against 14 of the 16 most-traded currencies tracked by Bloomberg, while the U.S. dollar fell against nine of them. Canada’s dollar, nicknamed the loonie for the image of the aquatic bird on the C$1 coin, strengthened 0.5 percent to C$1.0505 per U.S. dollar at 10:28 a.m. in New York, from C$1.0553 yesterday. It touched C$1.0503, the strongest level since Oct. 26, after depreciating as much as 0.5 percent. One Canadian dollar buys 95.19 U.S. cents. Crude oil for December delivery rose 1.2 percent to $80.40 a barrel in New York. Stocks fluctuated, with the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index rising 0.2 percent. The loonie, which gained 16 percent this year, fell 1 percent over the past month as government and Bank of Canada officials reiterated comments that its strength threatened the nation’s economic recovery.

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