OTo
This Week’s Top Stories: The Canadian Property Bubble Starts Deflating, and Brain Drain Signs Appear
New Zealand’s Central Bank Calls Home Price Growth “Unsustainable,” Halts QE
New Zealand may be the first advanced economy to hike interest rates. The Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) abruptly announced a halt to the Large Scale Asset Purchase (LSAP) program. Along with the announcement was the release of the Monetary Policy Committee notes. The Committee said the risk of deflation has now passed, and […]
Canada Is Slowing Down The Money Printer, But Inflation Relief Is A Long Way Off
Canada’s money printer is still going brrr at a rate not seen in decades, but it’s starting to slow down. Bank of Canada (BoC) data shows the rate of growth for the M2++ is now past its peak as of April. The broad measure of the country’s money supply is a leading indicator for inflation. […]
Whoopsie! Bank of Canada Says Their Use of QE May Have Caused Greater Inequality
We’re all in this together. Okay, we weren’t in it together — but we’re really sorry about one of the greatest transfers of wealth in history. That was the takeaway from a Bank of Canada (BoC) speech earlier this week, by Governor Tiff Macklem. In a totally not ironic speech on inequality, he suggested quantitative […]
Petition For Bank of Canada To Consider Home Prices and Stop QE Enters Parliament
The Government of Canada (GoC) is facing mounting pressure to do more about home prices. BC-based housing activist Raymond Wong launched an e-petition last week. The petition calls for the Bank of Canada (BoC) to consider home prices when setting rate policy. In less than a week, the petition has enough signatures to be certified […]
Canada Says Property Bubble “Not Great” For Locals, Good For Foreign Investors
A Canadian official in charge of housing policy confirmed the current market is not an accident. Instead, it’s a conscious decision where the government picked the winners and losers. TVO aired an interview with MP Adam Vaughan yesterday, discussing housing policy. In the interview, Vaughan, who helps oversee the CMHC, said price drops are not […]
This Week’s Top Stories: Bank of Canada Blamed For Property Bubble, and QE Cannot Stop Prices From Falling
Time for your cheat sheet on this week’s most important stories. Canadian Real Estate A Large Canadian Bank Just Blamed The Bank Of Canada For The Property Bubble One of Canada’s largest banks attributed the country’s frothy real estate market to the central bank. BMO wrote, “a surge in demand started by the pandemic, but […]
Why Don’t Real Estate Developers Build More Purpose Built Rentals? Interest Rates
Academics theorize why developers won’t create more purpose-built rental housing. They cite everything from user behavior to policy restrictions. For some reason, they never think to just ask a real estate developer candidly. A few weeks ago I shared a popular Twitter thread on real estate rental development. Not a lot of people realize real […]
Lack of Supply Driving Canadian Real Estate Prices Higher? “Puhleeze”, Says BMO
One of the country’s top economists is calling bullsh*t on the supply-price narrative. BMO chief economist Douglas Porter sent a client note disputing an inventory shortage. He thinks it’s important to “crush” two myths about Greater Toronto’s blowout home sales in March. Let’s dive into that take. Myth 1: Last March Sales Were Distorted By […]
How Quantitative Ease Inflates Real Estate Prices, And Why It Doesn’t Work Forever
Quantitative ease (QE) is a simple concept, but not well understood by most people. Increasingly folks tell me, “QE inflates home prices,” and “prevents prices from dropping.” The first part is true, but the evidence on the second part is a little shaky. It can help to push home prices higher during a tight market, […]
