Canada Economics Weekly Canadian dollar headed even lower At a global level, stock markets have been buoyed by signs that economic outlook is improving. Unfortunately, held back by weak domestic demand, low inflation and narrowing interest rate differentials... 4th February 2013 · 1 min read
Canada Economics Update Business confidence index points to better start to 2013 The recent improvement in small and medium sized business confidence points to a pick-up in economic growth in the first quarter, to around 2% annualised, roughly twice the pace of last quarter. We... 1st February 2013 · 1 min read
Canada Data Response GDP by Industry (Nov. 12) November's 0.3% m/m gain in GDP, following the slightly downward revised 0.1% advance the month before, almost insures that fourth-quarter GDP growth improved somewhat over the poor 0.6% annualised... 31st January 2013 · 1 min read
Canada Economics Update Slower consumption growth to linger Slower growth in wages and salaries and lower consumer confidence suggest that real consumption growth slowed sharply in the fourth quarter, to only half the 3.8% annualised gain in the third. We... 30th January 2013 · 1 min read
Canada Economics Update Federal deficit elimination goal may face longer delays An underperforming economy will make it tougher for the federal government to eliminate its budget deficit worth just over 1% of GDP. Although some headway has been made this year, weak underlying... 29th January 2013 · 1 min read
Canada Economics Weekly Economic slack likely to persist The Bank of Canada and International Monetary Fund still expect economic growth in Canada to accelerate through the course of this year. Admittedly, net exports are unlikely to remain a drag on GDP... 28th January 2013 · 1 min read
Canada Data Response Consumer Price Index (Dec.) The surprising drop in December's official core inflation rate to 1.1%, from 1.2% in November, suggests that there is much more slack in the economy than most economists previously thought. With sub... 25th January 2013 · 1 min read
Canada Economics Update Bank of Canada backing down on tightening bias In a surprise climb down, the Bank of Canada admitted that the need to withdraw policy stimulus is less imminent, partly reflecting the weaker global economic outlook, but mainly because the housing... 23rd January 2013 · 1 min read
Canada Data Response Retail Sales (Nov.) November's solid 0.8% m/m gain in retail sales volumes, paired with a similar increase in wholesale trade, suggests that monthly GDP grew by 0.3% m/m in November. Nonetheless, there is still some... 22nd January 2013 · 1 min read
Canada Economics Weekly Decline in home prices still on the way The latest round of housing data released last week predictably led to more claims that the market is enjoying a soft landing because, even though home sales fell sharply over the second half of last... 21st January 2013 · 1 min read
Canada Data Response Survey of Manufacturing (Nov.) November's 1.6% m/m rebound in manufacturing sales volumes is encouraging, though not strong enough to offset the previous month's decline of 2.2% m/m. All things considered, the risks to our... 18th January 2013 · 1 min read
Bank of Canada Watch Tightening bias will be dropped before year end We expect the Bank of Canada to continue justifying its tightening bias next week on the basis of high household debt. Before year end, however, we expect the Bank to drop talk of rate hikes. The weak... 16th January 2013 · 1 min read
Canada Economics Update Businesses investing cautiously amidst uncertainty The fourth-quarter Business Outlook Survey indicates that, while more businesses expect future sales growth to pick-up as they plan to increase investment in machinery and equipment, their modest... 15th January 2013 · 1 min read
Canada Economics Weekly Is business uncertainty holding the economy back? The uncertainty created by the fragile global backdrop and the potential fight brewing over the US debt ceiling are hurting Canadian business investment, and will continue to hold the economy back in... 14th January 2013 · 1 min read
Canada Data Response International Merchandise Trade (Nov. 12) November's paltry 0.1% m/m gain in export volumes is a discouraging sign for fourth-quarter GDP growth. Overall, the data suggest that the risks to our 1.5% annualised fourth-quarter GDP growth lie... 11th January 2013 · 1 min read
Canada Chart Pack Downward trend in housing investment will persist Housing starts continued to ease during the fourth quarter of last year, to an annualised 202,855, from 221,709 in the prior quarter. Nevertheless, it is possible that overall residential investment... 10th January 2013 · 1 min read