The Bank of Canada has stepped to the sidelines bringing an end to a 12-month string of interest rate increases that pushed its trend-setting Policy Rate from 0.25% to 4.50%.  The question now is: How long will the Bank stay on the sidelines? Right now, there are plenty of market watchers who expect the BoC […]

The Bank of Canada kept its policy rate unchanged on Wednesday, a decision that marked the first time in over 12 months that the central bank has not announced a fresh rate hike. Having indicated in January that a 25-basis-point increase to start the year likely marked the end of its rising-rate trajectory for now, […]

Statistics Canada released the real gross domestic product (GDP) figure for the final quarter of 2022 this morning, showing a marked slowdown in economic activity. This will undoubtedly keep the central bank on the sidelines when they announce their decision on March 8. The Bank had estimated the Q4 growth rate to be 1.3%. Instead, […]

The current wave of economic uncertainty does not seem to be drowning Canadians’ optimism about the housing market. The annual Canadian Real Estate Industry Trends Report from Re/Max suggests nearly one-third (32%) of Canadian home buyers and sellers have a positive sense that the market could become more balanced this year. There are, of course, […]

Canada’s annual rate of inflation fell to 5.9% in January, a higher drop than expected as yearly price growth continued to slow. Statistics Canada said on Tuesday that prices were up by 4.9% without taking into account increases in the cost of food and gasoline, although mortgage interest costs saw a huge spike of 21.2% […]

The latest piece of hard economic data has market watchers looking to see how the Bank of Canada will react. The January employment numbers show the economy added a stunning 150,000 jobs.  That is 10-times what was forecast and is the second out-sized reading in a row.  December saw a downwardly revised total of 69,000 […]

The Bank of Canada’s trend-setting policy rate is fixed until March, and the Bank’s leadership is proclaiming a “conditional pause” in the rate-hiking cycle.  That has led to a growing notion that interest rate cuts are coming.  Some forecasts say the Bank could pivot from raising, to lowering, by the end of the year. Financial […]

As expected the Bank of Canada increased its benchmark policy rate for an 8th straight setting.  It now stands at 4.50%.  The 25 basis-point boost was the smallest in this vigorous cycle which started pushing up rates back in March 2022.  This is being taken as a sign that the central bank is satisfied with […]

The latest cost of living and employment numbers make it clear the Bank of Canada still has work to do in its fight against inflation. The Consumer Price Index (headline inflation) did slow to 6.3% in December, from 6.8% in November, but it is still well above the Bank’s target rate of 2.0%.  Food and […]

Canada’s big cities are getting bigger and more expensive even as tens-of-thousands of people leave them, for more affordable lifestyles elsewhere.  A key factor in the expense and the migration is the cost of housing. According to Statistics Canada nearly 100,000 people left the Toronto area in the 12-month period from July 1, 2021 to […]