* C$ rises slightly to 94.19 U.S. cents
* Bonds outperform U.S. Treasuries
TORONTO, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Canada's currency climbed against the U.S. dollar on Tuesday as influential commodity prices firmed, extending gains from the previous session.
On Monday, the Canadian dollar appreciated for the first time in 10 sessions, mirroring gains in commodity and equity markets, and the same factors were driving the currency on Tuesday.
At 8:50 a.m. (1350 GMT), the Canadian dollar was at C$1.0617 to the U.S. dollar, or 94.19 U.S. cents, up from C$1.0624 to the U.S. dollar, or 94.13 U.S. cents, at Monday's close. Earlier in the session, the currency hit 94.65 U.S. cents before paring gains.
"We see commodities higher and oil back above $75 and generally risk aversion has moved a little bit to the background," said Camilla Sutton, currency strategist at Scotia Capital.
The Canadian dollar was also a slightly favored commodity-linked currency on Tuesday after the Reserve Bank of Australia's central bank kept interest rates on hold in a surprise move, sending the Australian dollar down more than 1 percent against the U.S. dollar. [ID:nRBA]
The move has also prompted market watchers to eye the Australia/Canada dollar pair, which is testing its 200-day moving average around $0.9285.
Short-term influence may come from the U.S. pending home sales for December at 10 a.m. (1500 GMT). Economists surveyed by Reuters expect a 1.0 percent rise compared with a 16.0 percent fall in the previous month.
The data calendar for Canada is bare until Thursday when a
report on building permits for December and an index of
purchasing activity for January are due. But the main focus
will be on Friday when market players look for further evidence
of an economic recovery in the Canadian and U.S. jobs data.
[ID:nN01230910] Canadian bonds were higher across the curve and outperforming their U.S. counterparts. The two-year bond was up 38 Canadian cents at C$100.38 to yield 1.313 percent, while the 10-year bond rose 17 Canadian cents to C$103.09 to yield 3.361 percent. (Reporting by Ka Yan Ng; Editing by Theodore d'Afflisio)
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