TORONTO - The Canadian dollar declined Tuesday morning as commodity prices slipped and traders looked to American economic data coming out later in the day. The loonie was down 0.17 of a cent to 100.81 cents US. The commodity-sensitive currency had jumped almost three-quarters of a US cent on Monday as prices for oil and metals advanced in the wake of a report that showed U.S. industrial production grew in March at a faster pace than expected. Commodities backed off somewhat Tuesday as investors awaited the latest reading on U.S. factory orders and the release of the minutes of the U.S. Federal Reserve's meeting on interest rates in early March. It's hoped those minutes will provide reassurance that the U.S. central bank will continue to keep rates near zero. The May crude contract on the New York Mercantile Exchange declined 62 cents to US$104.61 a barrel after charging ahead more than US$2. The May copper contract was off one cent to US$3.91. The Chinese data had helped send copper up a dime on Monday. China is the world's biggest copper consumer. And the January bullion contract on the Nymex edged $4.70 lower to US$1,675 an ounce.

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