Canadian real estate is still in bubble territory but excitement is fading fast. The US Federal Reserve (US Fed) Exuberance Index for Q3 2021 shows Canada is still in bubble territory. At this point, the gap between fundamentals and price have expanded for over a half decade. As higher rates approach, the index is showing […]
The call is coming from inside the House. Canadian real estate is significantly overvalued, according to the government’s own research. A new report from the non-partisan Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO) dropped this week. It looks at housing affordability, and is meant to give policymakers a primer on the issue. The report concludes real estate prices […]
There’s a good reason you might be feeling Canada’s economic recovery, and that’s because of how it’s measured. Canada’s gross domestic product (GDP) ripped higher in Q3 2021 and it’s just shy of the pre-2020 peak. Aggregate GDP measures are only useful for the size of an industry, not how it impacts people. For the […]
Canada’s vacant home problem is improving but not very quickly. Statistics Canada (Stat Can) Census 2021 data reveals vacant homes fell from 2016. Resort towns have the highest share of vacant homes. This occurred despite the boom in year round residents in these cities. Let’s take a dive into the data. Canada’s Vacant Homes The […]
Central banks may have held rates too low for too long, making it difficult to normalize. The US is now discussing the flattening of the “yield curve,” often a sign of an economic slowdown. Canada is ignoring a similar discussion, despite flattening even faster than the US. Flattening quickly turns into yield curve inversion, considered […]
A prominent skeptic of Ontario’s ambitious housing plan has emerged — Canada’s oldest bank. The province’s Housing Affordability Task Force released a plan to build 1.5 million homes over 10 years. BMO senior economist Robert Kavcic dumped a bucket of cold water on the plan. Not only does the bank say it doesn’t make sense, […]
Millennials aren’t having children and experts believe high home prices are a big part of the issue. An NBER working paper titled House Prices and Birth Rates: The Impact of the Real Estate Market on the Decision to Have a Baby looks at the influence of home prices on births. They found higher home prices […]
Canada has earned itself a reputation as a hub for dirty money over the past years, and it doesn’t seem to be phased by it. Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Center of Canada (FINTRAC) data show reports of suspicious transactions have surged higher in recent years. At the same time, the financial watchdog is conducting […]
The head of Canada’s bank regulator called the country’s housing market what it is — a speculative frenzy. Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) superintendent Peter Routledge gave his take on housing this week. Speaking on the Herle Burley podcast, the regulator explained he sees real estate market exuberance. In his opinion, it […]
Canada’s central bank increasingly sounds like it doesn’t believe its transitory narrative. In a speech to the Senate committee today, the Bank of Canada (BoC) Governor updated lawmakers on monetary policy. He repeated mostly highlights from last week’s meeting, including the end of stimulus. He also warned households to prepare for higher rates, as they […]
