A few months ago, central banks were worried Canadians wouldn’t borrow debt. Now Canadians are borrowing at one of the fastest rates in history, and have an astronomical pile of it. Bank of Canada (BoC) data shows outstanding mortgage credit reached a record high in July. There are some signs mortgage credit is slowing, but […]
Canadians are seeing higher inflation and one of the country’s biggest banks thinks you might want to get used to it. BMO senior economist Douglas Porter wrote to capital markets customers to clarify a position in a national newspaper. The outlet had isolated his quote, and used it to downplay concerns about inflation. In reality, […]
Canadian new housing supply is slowing, but no need to worry about a lack of inventory coming to market. Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) data show new housing starts slipped lower in August. It might be premature to worry they might be falling too low though. Starts are significantly higher than usual, and not […]
Canadian inflation looks less transitory by the day, as costs surge higher and higher. Statistics Canada (Stat Can) data shows the consumer price index (CPI) made a sharp climb in August. Growth is now well in excess of the base effect, and not just an illusion. One of the biggest drivers has been shelter costs, […]
Young Canadians aren’t interested in joining the trades, and it’s a big problem. RBC Economics took a look at skilled workers, and the anticipated shortage. The labor shortage isn’t just due to a large demographic cliff though. Not enough young adults are attracted to the field, nor are new immigrants. This squeeze can result in […]
Canadian building investment is falling, and it’s due to a lack of housing investment. Statistics Canada (Stat Can) data shows total building investment fell in July. Taking a dive into the data, we can see this is due entirely to falling residential investment. While it dropped, no need to worry about an inventory squeeze. The […]
Canadian household indicators are showing their debt problems are rapidly resurfacing. Statistics Canada (Stat Can) data shows the ratio of household debt to disposable income surged in Q2 2021. This measure indicates debt is growing faster than the rate of income. Debt as a ratio of income has actually never seen such fast annual growth […]
Canadian debt is dirt cheap, but it won’t be this cheap forever, warns BMO. Douglas Porter, the bank’s chief economist, expects the cost of borrowing to remain “low for long.” He just doesn’t see it being quite as low as the current stimulus driven environment. As governments taper stimulus to fund its spending, borrowing rates […]
Canadian politicians promise to “fix” housing affordability if elected this year. Just one problem — all of their plans will increase home prices, not make them more affordable. That’s the take from Finder‘s 15-person monetary policy panel. The Fintech regularly polls Canada’s top economists for their take on monetary policy. This time they asked for […]
The Canadian economy still has a long way to go before it’s recovered — possibly further than thought. RBC economist Josh Nye said today’s Bank of Canada (BoC) rate decision was widely expected. The central bank made no changes, reiterating the importance of quantitative ease (QE). Canada’s largest bank sees a risk of QE tapering […]
