C$ lowest ever

THE CANADIAN dollar fell below 64 US cents for the first time as evidence that Russia's financial crisis is worsening sent investors scurrying to the perceived safety of the United States currency.

The Loonie, so-called after the bird depicted on the Canadian dollar coin, plummeted more than half a US cent to 63.99 cents, the lowest in its 140-year history. The Bank of Canada aggressively sold US dollars for Canadian in an unsuccessful attempt to arrest its decline.