Canadian new vehicle sales picked up, but supply chain hiccups are hitting the market. Statistics Canada (Stat Can) reported 94,624 new vehicles sold in January 2022, up 15.3% from the previous year. The increase is huge, but it’s being compared to the slowest January since 2011. The second slowest was this past one, as the […]
One of Canada’s largest banks just made the most aggressive interest rate forecast yet. Scotiabank now sees the Bank of Canada (BoC) overnight rate hitting 3.0% by next year. The bank acknowledges it’s an aggressive call, but it’s needed to control inflation. They feel the BoC kept rates too low for too long, and now […]
Canadian employment made huge gains, as the economy continues to bounce back. Statistics Canada (Stat Can) reported employment increased by 337,000 (+1.8%) jobs in February. Rising jobs pushed the unemployment rate down to just 5.5%, the lowest since May 2019, before public health measures. Experts see the robust employment gains supporting much higher interest rates. […]
Canadian real estate has a new risk factor catching the attention of regulators — CLPs. Combined Mortgage-HELOC Loan Plans (CLPs), better known as readvanceable mortgages, are fueling higher home prices. That was the take from OSFI, the country’s bank regulator. CLPs are rarely mentioned by regulators, but they’ve come up in several speeches since last […]
We’re only two months into the year but Canada’s real estate market is seeing the inventory story change fast. An analysis from RBC shows key markets have seen inventory improve for February. The bank hesitates to call it a trend, but markets are getting close to “balanced.” As interest rates rise, home sales are expected […]
Canada’s central bank finally acknowledged inflation is a monetary policy issue. Bank of Canada (BoC) governor Macklem dumped the transitory inflation narrative today. In a speech to Toronto’s CFA Society, he explained rising interest rates are just one monetary policy tool they’ll use going forward. The other is quantitative tightening (QT), a program designed to […]
Canada’s central bank made its first interest rate hike since slashing it down to nearly nothing. The Bank of Canada (BoC) announced it will raise the overnight rate today, marking a path to rate normalization. Today’s hike was widely expected, and the first of many that are forecast over the next two years. Rising rates […]
Canada’s central bank is overwhelmingly expected to hike interest rates aggressively. We polled the country’s top finance experts for their overnight rate forecast. Nearly all expect the Bank of Canada (BoC) to hike rates tomorrow. They don’t see the rate hikes ending there, though. Over the next year, they see interest rates rising aggressively to […]
Canadian mortgage borrowers still in the market aren’t worried about higher interest rates, apparently. Bank of Canada (BoC) data shows new mortgage loan annual growth was negative in December. The majority of the remaining activity was issued with variable interest rates. It might not be obvious, but variable mortgage costs are essentially a bearish bet […]
Canadians are suddenly borrowing a lot less mortgage debt these days. Bank of Canada (BoC) data shows new mortgage lending contracted in December 2021. New lending, including new mortgages and refinancing, fell to the lowest level since March 2020. It’s a sudden reversal for borrowers as price growth hits a fevered pitch and higher rates […]
