The Impact of Tariffs on Canadian Housing Markets Today is President Trump’s inauguration day in the US, and contrary to earlier threats, officials have announced that he will not impose new tariffs on his first day in office. Instead, Trump will issue a comprehensive trade memo directing federal agencies to evaluate trade relationships with China, […]

The Canadian Housing Market Ends 2024 On a Weak Note Home sales activity recorded over Canadian MLS® Systems softened in December, falling 5.8% compared to November. However, they were still 13% above their level in May, just before the Bank of Canada began cutting interest rates. The fourth quarter of 2024 saw sales up 10% […]

Good News On The Inflation Front The Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 1.9% year-over-year (y/y) in November, down from a 2.0% increase in October. Slower price growth was broad-based, with prices for travel tours and the mortgage interest cost index contributing the most to the deceleration. Excluding gasoline, the all-items CPI rose 2.0% in November, following a 2.2% gain in […]

Chrystia Freeland Resigns On The Day of The Fall Economic Statement Finance Minister Freeland rocked markets today by submitting her resignation from Cabinet. Trudeau had asked her to take another Cabinet post, but she declined in a scathing letter accusing Trudeau of “costly political gimmicks” like “bribe-us-with-our-own-money cheques for $250 and a two-month GST holiday. “Inevitably, […]

The Canadian Housing Market Strengthens Further Home sales activity recorded over Canadian MLS® Systems rose again in November, building on October’s surprise jump. Sales were up 2.8% m/m in November compared to October and now stand a cumulative 18.4% above where they were in May, just before the first interest rate cut in early June. […]

The Surge In Canadian Unemployment Keeps Another Jumbo Rate Cut In Play In December The BoC slashed the overnight rate by 50 bps this morning, bringing the policy rate down to 3.25%. The market had priced in nearly 90% odds of a 50 bp move, where consensus coalesced. The combined slower-than-expected GDP growth and a sharp rise […]

The Surge In Canadian Unemployment Keeps Another Jumbo Rate Cut In Play In December Before the release of today’s Canadian Labour Force Data, the odds favoured a 25 basis point drop in the overnight policy rate when the Bank of Canada meets again on December 11th. The data showed more substantial than expected job creation, […]

The Canadian Housing Market Shows Signs of Life Canadian home sales surged to their highest level in more than two years as the Bank of Canada cut interest rates, bringing buyers back into the market. Home sales rose 7.7% month-over-month (m/m) in October, reaching their highest level since April 2022. Rising home sales were broadly […]

Weaker-Than-Expected October Jobs Report Keeps Jumbo Rate Cut In-Play in December Statistics Canada released October employment data today. The data showed a marked slowdown in job growth, underscoring ongoing labour-market softness that triggered a jumbo rate cut last month. Statistics Canada said the country added 14,500 positions in October, which missed the median expectation of a 27,200 rise […]