Meanwhile, the Bank of Canada on Wednesday left its key overnight rate at 5% and, unlike other banks, left the possibility of further increases open, expressing concern about inflation and acknowledging economic slowdown and overall price reduction.

The Canadian dollar slightly strengthened against the American dollar, reaching 1.36 Canadian dollars per American dollar.

In other currency markets, the Japanese yen strengthened by 0.16% to 147.07 yen per dollar. The offshore Chinese yuan fell slightly by 0.02%, reaching 7.1717 yuan per dollar. The Australian dollar rose by 0.03%, to 0.655 US dollars.

In the cryptocurrency sector, Bitcoin rose by 0.19%, reaching $43,910.11.