The Canadian renovation boom is slowing, or at least the debt to finance it has. Bank of Canada (BoC) data shows loans for home renovations made a sharp drop in the first quarter of 2021. The balance of these loans had seen a surge during the pandemic, but rolled back in the last quarter. It […]
The economic cliff many are worried about when pandemic support is withdrawn may not be so bad. That’s the take from National Bank of Canada (NBC) economists Matthieu Arseneau and Alexandra Ducharme. The “big six” economists crunched the numbers on disposable income, minus pandemic support. Disposable income has already resumed the pre-pandemic growth trendline. Throw […]
Weak home sales and generally slowing demand have sent lumber prices into a tailspin. The price for the commodity shed another 7 points over the past 7 days. Lumber is now trading at almost half the cost it was 45 days ago, at the record high. Even with that kind of haircut, experts see prices […]
Canadian new home prices are on a tear, as high demand meets higher material costs. Statistics Canada (Stat Can) data shows new home prices advanced sharply in May. The annual rate of price growth is now at the highest level since 2006. That makes it one of the fastest annual rates of growth in history. […]
Canada is experiencing a real estate boom, and it’s fueled by a flood of cheap mortgage debt. Bank of Canada (BoC) data shows mortgage credit reached a record high in April. That’s no longer a surprise since it’s a regular occurrence, but the rate of growth is noteworthy. Canadians added the equivalent of 6% of […]
Canada’s immigration heavy population growth plummeted during the pandemic. BMO Chief Economist Douglas Porter is starting to see population growth finally stabilize. However, it’s at a much lower level than the country saw pre-pandemic. While the most recent quarter shows near-normal growth, a lot of ground needs to be made up. If it isn’t made […]
Ontario is out, and the coasts are in according to the latest population growth data. Statistics Canada (Stat Can) quarterly population estimates were released for Q1 2021. Interprovincial migration data shows Ontario lost more Canadians than it could attract. Affordable provinces such as Quebec and Nova Scotia were able to show a net gain. BC […]
Canadian real estate just got one of the cooler forecasts this year, and it was from the industry. The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) updated its 2021 forecast this week. The organization made an upwards revision to the rate of growth for the average sale price this year. It sounds great, until you realize one […]
Canadian shelter costs are soaring, but haven’t contributed much to inflation data. That is, until now. Statistics Canada (Stat Can) updated its consumer price index (CPI) for May. The index is accelerating at the fastest rate in over half a decade, and for the most part — it’s not base-effect. Gasoline and shelter costs were […]
Homebuyers fled big cities like Toronto during the pandemic, searching for suburban deals. Most of those deals are now gone, as small cities and rural Ontario saw prices soar. BMO senior economist Robert Kavcic argues this in his latest client research note. The gap between buying in a big city like Toronto, and a small […]
