Canada Economics Update Oil rebound won’t prevent drop in energy investment The negative outlook for oil prices, together with Canadian oil firms’ high debt levels, regulatory uncertainty and capacity constraints, suggest that energy investment will fall this year. 5th March 2019 · 1 min read
Canada Economics Update No recession, but growth to remain weak Canada is not at immediate risk of recession, but the chance of GDP growth rising back above potential in the second half of the year looks slim. We now expect growth to average just 1.0% in 2019. 4th March 2019 · 1 min read
Canada Economics Update High inventories a downside risk to growth Against the backdrop of slowing global demand growth, the high level of manufacturing inventories in Canada is an underappreciated downside risk to GDP growth. 21st February 2019 · 1 min read
Canada Economics Update Changes to policy unlikely to rescue housing market There seems little chance of Canada’s banking regulator greatly easing the severity of the mortgage stress tests introduced last year, but the government is considering helping first-time buyers in... 11th February 2019 · 1 min read
Canada Economics Update Loonie’s strong run unlikely to be sustained A softening economy, slow wage growth and a drop back in oil prices are all reasons to doubt that the loonie’s recent strong run will be sustained. We see the currency declining to $0.72 this year. 6th February 2019 · 1 min read
Canada Economics Update Bank of Canada too optimistic on wage growth With wages boosted last year by minimum wage hikes and the labour market now facing several headwinds, we doubt that a meaningful pick-up in wage growth is on the cards for 2019. 5th February 2019 · 1 min read
Canada Economics Update Consumers unlikely to spend their gasoline windfall The drop in gasoline prices in recent months is good news for households’ purchasing power, but we doubt they will spend all of their windfall. In fact, limited scope for further strong house price... 29th January 2019 · 1 min read
Canada Economics Update Business cycle indicators point to slowdown risks With a host of indicators suggesting that GDP growth will weaken, we think that the risks of a pronounced slowdown are larger than either the Bank of Canada or the consensus assumes. 18th January 2019 · 1 min read
Canada Economics Update Bank’s forecasts still too optimistic Despite slashing its economic growth forecast to below potential, the Bank of Canada reiterated today that it judges that more rate hikes will be needed to ensure that inflation remains in line with... 9th January 2019 · 1 min read
Canada Economics Update New home supply will weigh on house prices Given the huge amount of new supply set to reach the housing market this year, the recent deterioration in home sales is bad news for house prices. While house price weakness will be painful, the end... 8th January 2019 · 1 min read
Canada Economics Update Business Outlook Survey (Q4) The slump in the Business Outlook Survey future sales balance looks consistent with GDP growth falling towards zero and is another reason to doubt that the Bank of Canada will raise interest rates... 21st December 2018 · 1 min read
Canada Economics Update What ‘serious consequences’ could China mean? If the emerging diplomatic spat with China escalates further, there are a number of measures that China could use to inflict economic damage on Canada. But given that Canada’s trade exposures to China... 17th December 2018 · 1 min read
Canada Economics Update Bank of Canada sticks to its guns Despite the recent slump in oil prices, the Bank of Canada confirmed today that it intends to raise interest rates at least three more times. However, we think that a deterioration in the economy will... 5th December 2018 · 1 min read
Canada Economics Update GDP growth heading toward zero in first quarter The combined effect of Alberta’s forced oil production cuts and the slump in oil prices on activity in the sector are set to push Canadian GDP growth down to around 0.5% annualised in the first... 4th December 2018 · 1 min read
Canada Economics Update Revised saving rate highlights household risks The sharp downward revisions to the saving rate imply that households are even more vulnerable to higher interest rate than we had previously thought. In that environment, the Bank of Canada’s plan to... 3rd December 2018 · 1 min read
Canada Economics Update Vancouver housing heading for bumpy landing After the stabilisation of the Toronto housing market this year, it’s tempting to think that the deterioration in the Vancouver market will end in a soft landing. But Vancouver housing is more... 26th November 2018 · 1 min read