Canadian inflation slowed last month, though most people are unlikely to have noticed much savings (if any). Statistics Canada (Stat Can) data shows the headline Consumer Price Index (CPI) slowed in April. It was a result of last month’s removal of the consumer carbon tax, leading to an abrupt but temporary decline. However, a look […]
Time for your cheat sheet on this week’s top stories. Canadian Real Estate Canadian Household Debt Grew 2x Faster Than 2019, Driven By Mortgages Canadian households may have trade jitters, but that isn’t stopping them from borrowing. Household debt climbed 0.2% (+$6.2 billion) to reach $3.04 trillion in February—double 2019’s growth rate. Mortgage credit drove […]
Canada’s central bank has been slashing rates to get households to borrow, and mission accomplished. Statistics Canada (Stat Can) data shows household debt climbed aggressively in February. Growth may seem slow relative to the recent low rate frenzy, but debt is being racked up at twice the rate seen in 2019. Despite weak home sales, […]
Weak demand for Canadian real estate continues to push prices lower. Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) data shows the price of a composite benchmark (typical) home made a sharp downtick in April. The medium-term trend also reveals this is a more complicated issue than just trade war jitters. Over the past few years, buyers have […]
Canadian real estate sales may be slow, but the few people buying are paying more. Brookfield’s Real Property Solutions (RPS) released its House Price Index (HPI) for April, showing annual growth continuing to decelerate. However, the 12-month change fails to capture a potential shift in sentiment—last month prices made the biggest jump in 9-months. The […]
The Canadian and US labor markets tend to make very similar moves, and rarely diverge. This is one of those rare divergences, according to a new analysis from BMO Capital Markets. The bank’s chief economist is warning that Canadian employment is showing the worst divergence in nearly 25 years. It’s rare to see this kind […]
Canada’s central bank is just realizing the mortgage rate renewal cliff is much smaller than thought. The Bank of Canada’s (BoC) Financial Stability Report (FSR) shows the average mortgage payment will rise much less than anticipated on renewal. Economists from BMO Capital Markets told investors the improvements are mostly already reflected in the market. Those […]
Canada’s central bank is performing a dangerous balancing act. The Bank of Canada’s (BoC) latest Financial Stability Report (FSR) shows mortgage impairments surged in Q1 2025—enough to trigger internal alarms, but not enough to consider a problem. However, the question isn’t whether risks are growing (they are), but who’s in trouble: struggling families or overleveraged […]
Canadian real estate markets are further buckling under trade war anxieties, with RBC Economics telling investors that there’s no near-term recovery. National data has yet to arrive, but they observed plummeting sales and rising inventory in all of Canada’s major markets in April. RBC warns market cracks are emerging, and there’s no meaningful rebound on […]
Canada’s international student landscape is undergoing a seismic shift, and it’s not just the quantity of students. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) data shows that new study permit applications were down in March. Old news, eh? What is new though is the shift in demand origination. China, once the top source of international students, […]
