If you’ve been laundering money through US real estate, you might encounter a few hurdles soon. Today the US Treasury’s Financial Crime Enforcement Network (FinCEN) gave notice of upcoming rule changes for home buying. They warn that real estate is vulnerable to money laundering by a wide range of criminals. Consequently, the regulator believes it […]
Most immigrants in Canada find themselves in just two major regions, and those regions also happen to pay them the worst. Statistics Canada (Stat Can) data shows the median annual income for immigrants in 2019 was much lower in major hubs. Immigrants that arrived 10 years ago are paid much lower in places like Southern […]
US real estate prices are looking frothy, according to central bank researchers. The US Federal Reserve (the Fed) recently updated its exuberance index for Q2 2021. The little-known index exists to identify housing bubbles early, to minimize damage. For the first time since 2007, that indicator is now warning that US real estate prices are […]
Canadian real estate has outgrown productive investment for a few years, but it’s never been this bad. National Bank of Canada (NBC) found that Canadians now invest more in homes than businesses. It’s the first time since the early 1960s that housing investment has grown larger than private investment. The “Big Six Bank” says this […]
Canadian cities rank as some of the largest real estate bubbles globally, but Canada doesn’t see it that way. The Bank of Canada (BoC) House Price Exuberance Index Indicator (HPEI) ranks just two cities as exuberant in Q3 2021. Neither of those cities is Toronto or Vancouver, despite both ranking amongst the biggest real estate […]
New Zealand’s government is targeting home investors to slow price growth and it may be working. Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) data shows the share of home buyers that have at least one other home. Immediately after the Government announced they’ll target investors, many quit the market. It’s only been a few months since […]
Canadian housing is far outpacing the growth of its economy, shows government stats. That’s what 2020 home assessment values show, provided to us by Statistics Canada (Stat Can). Home prices added billions in value last year, as you might have guessed. What you may not know is Canadian homes have added so much value it’s […]
Canada prides itself on being an ideal environment for entrepreneurs but stats disagree. Statistics Canada (Stat Can) employment data shows self-employment is shrinking. These individuals now represent the smallest share of employment since the early 1980s. At the same time, the public sector has been hiring roughly two people per self-employed job lost. Employment might […]
Great news! The odds of a housing correction are soaring and people might lose a lot of cash — but the banks will be fine. That was a key takeaway from Bank of Canada (BoC) deputy governor Paul Beaudry today. Seriously. In a speech to the OSC, the central bank warned Canadian real estate has […]
Canadian financial institutions increasingly see the financial system as risk-free. That might be a risk itself. The Bank of Canada (BoC) completed its biannual Financial System Survey (FSS) this week. It found institutions are buying “riskier” assets to make up for low interest rates. Risk managers see the risk as low, believing the financial system […]
