U.S. dollar rises 2 pct against Canadian dollar

NEW YORK Oct 20 (Reuters) - The dollar extended gains against its Canadian counterpart, rising 2 percent on the day after the Bank of Canada left interest rates at record lows and dashed expectations for rate hike before the second half of 2010.

The U.S. dollar rose 2 percent to C$1.0493 CAD= after dipping to a 15-month low last week just above C$1.02. The BoC said Canadian dollar strength had offset improvement in the Canadian economy and said it would keep its benchmark interest rate at 0.25 percent through the first half of 2010.