Canada Economics Weekly House price gains fuelled by increasingly risky mortgages The news last week of a further acceleration in house price growth in Toronto and Vancouver in May followed hot on the heels of the warning from Bank of Canada Governor Stephen Poloz that “the... 17th June 2016 · 1 min read
Canada Data Response Consumer Prices (May) Core CPI inflation dropped back only slightly to 2.1% in May, from 2.2%, but it should decline more markedly in the second half of this year, as the inflationary impact from the earlier slump in the... 17th June 2016 · 1 min read
Canada Economics Weekly Energy production other shoe to drop Despite the rebound in oil prices this year, domestic energy producers don’t appear to believe in a sustainable recovery judging by the further decline in oil & gas drilling rig activity. Falling... 10th June 2016 · 1 min read
Canada Data Response Labour Force Survey (May) While the employment gain of 13,800 in May and drop in the unemployment rate to 6.9%, from 7.1%, was better than most had expected, this was entirely due to hiring in the public sector, partly related... 10th June 2016 · 1 min read
Canada Economics Weekly Consumption growth likely to slow The recent pick-up in consumer spending growth suggests at first glance that households are in a position to carry the economy once again this year. But closer examination of the underlying trends in... 3rd June 2016 · 1 min read
Canada Data Response International Merchandise Trade (Apr.) The merchandise trade deficit narrowed by a smaller margin than expected in April, mostly due to a tepid rebound in export volumes. Given the potential for a decline in energy exports in May, it now... 3rd June 2016 · 1 min read
Canada Data Response GDP (Q1 2016) The pick-up in GDP growth in the first quarter might convince some that the worst effects of the oil price shock are over, but the details showed that business investment fell further, consistent with... 31st May 2016 · 1 min read
Canada Economics Weekly Q2 slowdown isn’t just about Alberta wildfires After a strong start to the year, the economy likely ended the first quarter badly and we now believe that it shrank significantly this quarter, partly because of significant disruptions to oil... 27th May 2016 · 1 min read
Canada Economics Update Bank of Canada less optimistic on economy Despite a serious downgrade to its views on second quarter economic activity, the Bank of Canada opted to hold interest rates at 0.50% today and to remain neutral on the rate outlook, clinging to its... 25th May 2016 · 1 min read
Canada Data Response Consumer Prices (Apr.) & Retail Sales (Mar.) The rise in the core inflation rate in April, to 2.2% from 2.1%, was slightly stronger than expected but still appears due to the past depreciation of the Canadian dollar. As the weakness in the... 20th May 2016 · 1 min read
Bank of Canada Watch An interest rate cut still on the cards later this year We expect the Bank of Canada to hold interest rates at 0.50% next week and maintain a neutral outlook for future policy changes. Despite stronger economic growth at the start of the year and the... 18th May 2016 · 1 min read
Canada Economics Weekly More survey evidence of bleak growth prospects The dangerous wildfires that broke out in Alberta earlier this month haven’t changed the dismal outlook for economic growth this year. As the increasing amount of survey evidence indicates, the much... 13th May 2016 · 1 min read
Canada Data Response Labour Force Survey (Apr.) The modest decline of 2,100 in employment in suggests that the economy is still struggling to cope with lower oil prices. The unemployment rate was unchanged at 7.1%. We still believe that the worst... 6th May 2016 · 1 min read
Canada Data Response International Merchandise Trade (Mar.) Despite a 25% m/m rebound in crude oil prices, the much larger than expected merchandise trade deficit in March suggests that the underlying momentum in the economy was weaker than widely assumed... 4th May 2016 · 1 min read
Canada Economics Weekly Adjustment to low oil prices not going to plan Although the economy likely grew strongly in the first quarter, beneath the surface we aren’t convinced that the economy is still struggling to adjust to lower energy prices, despite the weaker... 29th April 2016 · 1 min read
Canada Chart Pack Second-quarter GDP growth likely to be dismal Although incoming data indicate that first-quarter GDP grew by as much as 2.8% annualised, we doubt this marks the beginning of an upturn in economic growth prospects. Economic growth in that quarter... 26th April 2016 · 1 min read
