Canadian dollar strengthens 0.1 against the greenback
For the month, the loonie loses 2.4
Price of U.S. oil settles 2.5 higher
Canadian bond yields trade mixed across the curve

TORONTO, Aug 31 Reuters The Canadian dollar edged higher against its U.S. counterpart on Thursday but the currency was still down sharply in August as a slowdown in China39;s economy pressured commoditylinked currencies.

The loonie was trading 0.1 higher at 1.3515 to the greenback, or 73.99 U.S. cents, after moving in a range of 1.3505 to 1.3557. For the month, the currency lost 2.4, its biggest monthly decline since February.

The laggards in August among G10 currencies are predominantly the commodity complex, said Michael Goshko, senior market analyst at Convera Canada. A lot of that has to do with the ongoing issues with China and what that means for global growth and commodities demand.

Other commoditylinked currencies include the Norwegian crown , as well as the Australian and New Zealand dollars

China39;s manufacturing activity contracted for a fifth straight month in August, an official factory survey showed, fuelling concerns about weakness in the world39;s secondbiggest economy.

Still, the price of oil settled on Thursday 2.5 higher at 83.63 a barrel. Oil is one of Canada39;s major exports.

Canada39;s secondquarter GDP report, due on Friday, is likely to show a sharp slowdown in economic growth, a Reuters poll of economists showed, which could lead the Bank of Canada to pause…