Bank of Canada Cuts Rates Another Quarter Point   Today, the Bank of Canada cut the overnight policy rate by another 25 basis points to 4.25%. This is the third consecutive decrease since June. The Bank’s decision reflects two main developments. First, headline and core inflation have continued to ease as expected. Second, as inflation […]

Q2 Canadian Growth, Boosted By Record Population Gains, Slows In June And July   Canada’s economy grew a bit more than expected in the second quarter, but falling per-capita gross domestic product and softening household consumption assure the Bank of Canada that it will cut rates for a third consecutive meeting next week. Canadian GDP […]

More Good News On The Canadian Inflation Front   Inflation in Canada decelerated once again in July to its slowest pace in three years, assuring the central bank will cut rates for the third consecutive meeting on September 4. The US is also widely expected to begin easing monetary policy at its September confab. The […]

Canadian Housing Market Paused In July   Despite the continued decline in interest rates, the Canadian housing market saw summer doldrums last month. The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) announced today that national home sales fell 0.7% monthly while rising 4.8% from year-ago levels. A significant uptick in sales activity is likely this fall, reflecting […]

Weaker-Than-Expected July Jobs Report Keeps BoC Rate Cuts In-Play   Canadian employment data, released August 9 by Statistics Canada, showed a continued slowdown, which historically would have been a harbinger of recession. This cycle, immigration has augmented the growth of the labour force and consumer spending, forestalling a significant economic downturn. Employment declined again in […]

Happy Wednesday! Not sure where all the sunshine went this morning given the good news that the Bank of Canada once again reduced rates but here we are with another .25% rate reduction! Great news for those variable rate mortgage holders, those with balances on Lines of Credit and also those with car loans tied […]

Canadian Inflation Fell in June, Setting the Stage For BoC Rate Cut   Inflation unexpectedly slipped 0.1% (not seasonally adjusted) in June, following a 0.6% increase in May. This was the first decline in six months. The monthly decrease was driven by lower prices for travel tours (-11.1%) and gasoline (-3.1%). The Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 2.7% year over […]

Weaker-Than-Expected June Jobs Report Keeps BoC Rate Cuts In Play   Canadian employment data, released today by Statistics Canada, showed a marked slowdown, which historically would have been a harbinger of recession. This cycle, immigration has augmented the growth of the labour force and consumer spending, forestalling a significant economic downturn. Nevertheless, the Bank of […]

The Bank of Canada finally began an easing cycle on June 5, taking their overnight policy rate down 25 bps to 4.75%–the first major central bank to do so. The housing market has languished over the past year with extremely weak affordability. The Multiple-Listing Service Home Price Index fell again in May and is now […]

  With the first Bank of Canada rate drop having occurred in June, many individuals are looking at the housing market with renewed vigor and an expectation that rates will continue to come down to a more sustainable level. If you are someone who is considering entering the housing market this summer, there are a […]