The US dollar is continuing higher as the market is getting its head around the idea that the US consumer -- and the economy in general -- are strong. I really want to highlight the comments from Delta's CEO following Q3 earnings and I expect we're going to get much more of that in the weeks ahead. He emphasized increasing consumer spending, particularly from high end consumers.See: Consumers are flush: Airline stocks rise as Delta sees strong demandThe US dollar is broadly stronger today and CAD is a slight underperformer. I don't see a good reason for CAD selling but we're carefully watching trade negotiations. It looks like there is some kind of larger deal being worked out but the Canadian auto industry looks like it could be in for some bad news.Domestically, Canada isn't doing as well as the US but there are signs the housing rout is ending as inventory numbers start to sag and sales pick up in the Toronto area. I worry about a heavy wave of listings next Spring though. Gold is certainly a tailwind for Canada but to really get some loonie strength, we need broader commodity strength, including in oil. If we get some increasing optimism on consumers, that could come quickly. This article was written by Adam Button at investinglive.com.