CANADA FX DEBT-C$ falls, eyes on recent high next week

* C$ ends day lower at 93.48 US cents, up 0.8 pct on week

* Gets short-lived pop from wholesale trade figures

* Bonds driven lower in technical trade (Adds commentary, updates prices)

By Ka Yan Ng

TORONTO, Sept 18 (Reuters) - Canada's dollar finished lower versus a generally firming U.S. currency on Friday, pulled down by retreating commodity prices.

The currency was confined to a C$1.0650-C$1.0750 range, but was volatile within this band, reacting to movements in stock markets and the price of oil and gold and as liquidity thinned ahead of holidays in Japan and Singapore next week.

The Canadian dollar finished at C$1.0697 to the U.S. dollar, or 93.48 U.S. cents, down from Thursday's session close of C$1.0668 to the U.S. dollar, or 93.74 U.S. cents.

It ended the week up 0.8 percent, after touching an 11-month high at C$1.0591 to the U.S. dollar, or 94.42 U.S. cents, on Thursday.

"It will be very interesting to see if there will be any follow-through and whether the market will be willing to retest that level or reject it next week," said Matthew Strauss, senior currency strategist at RBC Capital Markets.

That will largely depend on the direction of commodity prices, as well as the "risk-on, risk-off" views of the market, he said.

The price of oil slipped below $72 a barrel on Friday, while gold backed away from 18-month highs. The Toronto stock market's main index fell. The Canadian dollar often tracks the direction of these markets.

The Canadian dollar firmed briefly in the morning after a report showed Canadian wholesale trade rose by 2.8 percent in July from June -- a much bigger increase than analysts had forecast. [ID:nN18247835] It had fallen 1 U.S. cent overnight to touch a low of 92.85 U.S. cents.

BONDS FALL HARD

Canadian bond prices were lower on Friday after Thursday's rise, tracking a drop on the U.S. Treasury market ahead of next week's near record amount of new issuance. [ID:nLI230677]

Stock markets were not much of an influence on the market, and there was no top-tier economic data to influence it, said Sheldon Dong, fixed income analyst at TD Waterhouse Private Investment.

"I don't think there's a clear direction in the bond market right now. It's basically being technically driven," he said.

The two-year bond slipped 5 Canadian cents to C$99.45 to yield 1.288 percent, while the 10-year bond fell 35 Canadian cents to C$102.85 to yield 3.401 percent. The 30-year bond dropped 80 Canadian cents to C$118.25 to yield 3.914 percent.

Canadian bonds outperformed their U.S. counterparts across the curve. The Canadian 10-year bond yield moved to 6.8 basis points below its U.S. counterpart, compared with 2.4 basis points at the previous close. (Editing by Peter Galloway)