Co-Founder and chief data nerd at Better Dwelling. Named a top influencer in finance and risk by Thomson-Reuters.
Canadian real estate prices are soaring, but only a few markets have detached from reality. The ones that have though, boy oh boy – have they ever detached. New numbers obtained from IMF staff, show the gap between prices and fundamentals. For the most part, Canadian real estate prices can be explained through access to […]
Canada’s booming population growth is the only thing separating the country from a recession. There’s been a lot of talk about Canada’s massive growth in gross domestic product (GDP). There’s also been a lot of talk about Canada’s population boom, driven largely by immigration. However, few people seem to be discussing what the combination of […]
Only 17 days until the election, and all parties are promising helicopter money for housing. The NDP plan, with rental subsidies, is probably the most well intended one. Rather than using tax dollars to help buy investments, they’re focusing on core needs. Unfortunately, every time you inject a large amount of cash into a market, […]
Only 18 days until the election, and every party has a terrible housing plan. One of the more interesting ones comes from the Conservative Party of Canada (CPC). The key point is extending the maximum amortization for mortgages. This is a fancy way of saying they want to let buyers pay their mortgage over a […]
Canadian politicians are promising everything but the kitchen sink in the 2019 Federal Election. Although, there’s still 19 days – so don’t rule out kitchen sink subsidies. Most notable to our readers is obviously their housing platforms. A wide range of readers, from fund managers to Millennial buyers, have asked for our take on specific […]
The Christopher Columbus of central banks has discovered what everyone knows – Canadians are burning equity. A LOT of it. Bank of Canada (BoC) staff have concluded homeowners are extracting a lot of home equity. Consumption and the economy are boosted by the home equity extracted. However, the more significant the sum extracted, the more […]
The recession indicator “that has a perfect record” in the US is now flashing red alert in Canada. Canada’s 10-2 treasury yield spread officially inverted in July. The spread has been flattening since 2017, but finally turned negative last month. The yield curve inversion indicates investor expectations for the future are spiraling lower. We know, […]
The Canadian real estate slowdown is putting a drag on GDP numbers. Statistics Canada (StatCan) numbers show residential investment fell for a fifth consecutive quarter in Q1 2019. Historically, a decline in residential investment in countries with high levels of ownership are a recession flag. Residential Investment and Why You Care Residential investment (a.k.a. residential […]
Canadian bank regulators are getting ready for you to hit your breaking point. Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) announced it is raising the domestic stability buffers. The increase goes into effect this fall, just a few months after being hiked this past spring. An increase in the buffer provides further protection to […]
A lot of gems in last week’s BC money laundering report, but the biggest one wasn’t about the province. The report’s numbers suggest one of Canada’s fastest growing industries is washing money. In an advanced economy with low but stable gross domestic product (GDP) growth, this is a big issue. The numbers show laundering cash […]
