Canada Chart Pack Bank of Canada to cut interest rates again The slump in oil prices has dramatically altered the outlook for economic growth and inflation. Following the Bank of Canada's surprise move last month to cut its policy rate to 0.75%, from 1.00%... 12th February 2015 · 1 min read
Canada Chart Pack Low oil prices will hit business profits hard Since oil now accounts for half of Canada's production-weighted commodity price index, the collapse in crude oil prices represents a big downside risk to the outlook for business operating profits... 21st January 2015 · 1 min read
Canada Chart Pack Lower oil prices will hold back economy The slump in the crude oil prices to around US$60 per barrel is a serious threat to domestic business investment and future oil production. With the long-run breakeven cost of most oil sands projects... 12th December 2014 · 1 min read
Canada Chart Pack Multi-unit home building still in overdrive The unexpected decline in housing starts in October, which was driven by a sharp drop in the volatile multi-unit segment, is likely to be reversed in the coming months, reigniting concerns about... 11th November 2014 · 1 min read
Canada Chart Pack Falling oil prices to curb investor enthusiasm The recent decline in crude oil prices won't affect the immediate outlook for oil & gas production but, if sustained, lower oil prices could curb investment in Canada's oil sands, particularly as... 7th October 2014 · 1 min read
Canada Chart Pack Housing imbalances point to a slowdown ahead Housing starts have been running at close to 190,000 units over the past year, well above demographic demand, which we estimate is somewhere in the range of 175,000 to 185,000 units. Meanwhile, newly... 9th September 2014 · 1 min read
Canada Chart Pack Labour market conditions worsening The fact that Canada's unemployment rate has only nudged higher in the past few months is astonishing, given the recent weakness in net employment gains. The only reason why the unemployment rate hasn... 22nd July 2014 · 1 min read
Canada Chart Pack Labour market slack will keep inflation low Although inflation has been on the rise, the broader evidence suggests that this pick-up should prove temporary. Economic growth since the start of the year has been disappointing and labour market... 17th June 2014 · 1 min read
Canada Chart Pack Job creation still lacking quality While the pace of Canadian job creation appears to have slowed somewhat, the corresponding deterioration in job quality is more perplexing. Lower-wage part-time employment appears to be taking the... 22nd May 2014 · 1 min read
Canada Chart Pack Canadian oil no longer selling at a discount The steady rise in Canadian oil prices over the past few months has, in the case of light sweet crude, left them back on par with international benchmarks. Canada's energy producers have benefitted... 15th April 2014 · 1 min read
Canada Chart Pack Lower Canadian dollar won't cure export blues January's discouraging external trade figures suggest that the economy began the year on a weak footing. Unfortunately, exporters are likely to struggle throughout the year. Although the Canadian... 12th March 2014 · 1 min read
Canada Chart Pack Economy more unbalanced than before Although economic growth improved over the second half of last year, averaging an estimated 3.0% annualised, there is still no sign of a much-needed rebalancing towards exports and business investment... 5th February 2014 · 1 min read
Canada Chart Pack Low inflation may soon prompt easing bias Inflation has remained at the bottom of the Bank of Canada's 1% to 3% target range for over a year now, highlighting why the Governor is in no hurry to raise interest rates anytime soon. (See Chart.)... 9th January 2014 · 1 min read
Canada Chart Pack Faster economic growth won't be sustained Canada's economic growth rate has rebounded slightly after the disconcerting slowdown in the second half of last year. Growth remains overly dependent on unsustainable household borrowing, however... 4th December 2013 · 1 min read
Canada Chart Pack Energy rebound boosts third-quarter GDP growth Canada's economic growth appears to have accelerated to close to 2.5% annualised in the third quarter, the fastest pace in two years, thanks partly to a rebound in energy production. With other... 6th November 2013 · 1 min read
Canada Chart Pack Third-quarter GDP growth won't be sustained After being hit by floods and a major labour union strike at the end of the second quarter, Canada's economy rebounded sharply at the start of the third. For the third quarter as a whole, we now... 10th October 2013 · 1 min read