Canada managed to add tens of thousands of jobs last month, but it added even more workers. Statistics Canada (Stat Can) data shows the country added a healthy 51k jobs in November. Unfortunately the rise in workers was significantly higher, leading to the highest non-pandemic unemployment rate since 2017. It’s also getting harder to exit […]
Greater Toronto real estate buyers are returning, but the market has a long way to go. Toronto Regional Real Estate Board (TRREB) data shows that both sales and home prices climbed in November. The positive market news is overshadowed by the unusually lofty levels of inventory that continue to rise. Rising prices demonstrates FOMO is […]
Canada’s largest bank believes weak economic output will justify big rate cuts in a few days. A new RBC report notes that gross domestic product (GDP) climbed in Q3 2024, but the slower-than-expected growth was driven entirely by government spending. More concerning to their team was the 6th consecutive per-capita decline, with the first Q4 […]
Good news. Canada prevented the mortgage cliff that would have seen existing borrowers pay more. The bad news? The rapid rate cuts and extended amortizations are only expected to help new buyers for a few weeks before further affordability erosion. That was the take in a new report from Oxford Economics, who doesn’t see affordability […]
Canadian immigration policy changes may mean a drastic shift for new home prices in the coming month. Statistics Canada’s October New Housing Price Index (NHPI) shows the sharpest monthly drop since 2009. The drop comes after the index returned to positive growth, potentially warning that last month’s immigration announcement has shifted buyer outlook. Canadian New […]
Demand for new homes in Toronto has fallen to one of the weakest levels in years, despite soaring incentives. Altus Group and developer-group BILD GTA data shows new homes sales plunged even lower in October. Even with prices down more than 30% since peak and falling rates, buyers are still sitting the market out. The […]
Canadian politicians are in the holiday spirit and feeling generous with taxpayer funds ahead of election season. This week the Government of Canada (GoC) announced a “holiday” from the GST sales tax, as well as stimulus checks in the coming year. This follows the Ontario government’s announcement of stimulus checks arriving around the same time. […]
Canadian households sent another sign they’re getting comfortable borrowing—the return of home equity loans. Statistics Canada (Stat Can) data shows the balance of home equity line of credit (HELOC) accounts, continued to climb in September. The segment went through a lull as higher rates and stricter lending standards motivated deleveraging. However, with the return of […]
Canadian inflation is picking up, surprising the market despite warnings the slowdown was temporary. Statistics Canada (Stat Can) data shows the Consumer Price Index (CPI) accelerated sharply in October. Experts largely reiterated their expectations of a double-rate cut by next month. However, the data used by the central bank to justify the last double-cut has […]
Canadian real estate prices continued its downtrend last month, printing even larger losses. Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) data shows the price of a benchmark (typical) home fell in October, despite a surge in sales. Prices continued to grind lower and are now similar to where they were 3 years ago. Surging home sales are […]
