Insights

The Bank of Canada (BoC) held the overnight rate unchanged for a fifth consecutive meeting, extending a pause that started after the last hike in July last year. 

Canadian wage growth has been unusually high, but looks more modest when measured against surging inflation and relative to acute labour shortages earlier in the pandemic recovery. Now lagging productivity in Canada (along with a softening labour market...

A sound transition plan requires consideration of energy security as well.

Canadian inflation outlook still murky but January CPI growth slowed Year-over-year CPI growth slowed to 3.2% in January from 3.4% in December. Energy and food price growth slowed, but the Bank of Canada’s preferred core measures of broader price pressure...

It may be the unusually mild weather or the modest drop in fixed mortgage rates since November—or both—but Canadian house hunters have more energy this winter. Importantly, they’re landing more deals. Home resales in Canada increased for the second month...

The World Economic Forum is always a contradiction of hope and anxiety. This year’s version felt like peak paradox.

Energy component pushed headline inflation reading higher with food price growth holding steady after slowing for 5 straight months. The BoC’s preferred core CPI measures bounced higher, although the breadth of inflationary pressures over the last three...

US labour market data ended 2023 with strength. Payroll employment was up 216k in December while the unemployment rate held at 3.7% after declining to that level the prior month. As was the case for much of the year, the employment gain in December was...

The December labour market data was mixed, but on balance adds to evidence that economic activity remained soft through Q4. Employment was essentially unchanged in December, the softest reading since a 6k decline last July. And the unemployment rate held...