Category Archives: Blog

Why the Bank of Canada Should Announce a July Rate Cut

Why the Bank of Canada Should Announce a July Rate Cut

In early June, the Bank of Canada cut interest rates for the first time since March 2020. The central bank cut its key overnight lending rate by 25 basis points to 4.75%. The big question is when the next interest rate cut will come. Will the Bank of Canada Cut Rates Again in July? At […]

The Bank of Canada Is Still Concerned About the Health of the Canadian Economy

Canadian Economy

After a year in which the Canadian economy experienced virtually no growth, the economy performed better than expected in the first quarter of 2024, with real gross domestic product (GDP) advancing 1.7% on an annual basis. That’s slower than the median forecast of 2.2% and below the Bank of Canada’s forecast of 2.8%, but it’s […]

U.S. Federal Reserve Holds Interest Rates, Expects Just One Cut in 2024

U.S. Federal Reserve Holds Interest Rates

The U.S. Federal Reserve said on June 12 that it was holding its key interest rate unchanged at approximately 5.5%, a level it has held since July 2023. The Fed has raised interest rates 11 times since March 2020 to fight inflation. Inflation has fallen from a high of 9% in June 2022 to 3.4% […]

The Bank of Canada Cuts Interest Rates for the First Time in 4 Years

Bank of Canada Cuts Interest Rates

The Bank of Canada cut its key lending rate by 25 basis points to 4.75%, the first rate cut since March 2020. The central bank said that further interest rate cuts were on the table should inflation continue to ease. The Bank of Canada was the first central bank among G7 nations to announce a […]

Analysts Lift Targets for TSX and S&P 500

TSX and S&P 500

The performance of Canada’s main index, the TSX, and its U.S. counterparts, the S&P 500 and Nasdaq, has taken Bay Street and Wall Street by surprise. After a robust 2023, in which the TSX rallied 8.1%, the S&P 500 grew 24.2%, and the Nasdaq advanced an impressive 43.4%, the outlook for 2024 was positive, but […]

Canada’s Inflation Cools, Pointing to June Interest Rate Cut

Canada’s Inflation Cools

After dealing with decades-high inflation, Canadian consumers are beginning to see the effects of the Bank of Canada’s aggressive interest rate hike policy. Statistics Canada announced that the annual inflation rate cooled to 2.7% in April, down from 2.9% in March. The lower inflation rate comes on the heels of slower growth in food prices, […]

Canadian GDP Loses Steam, Slows to Just 0.2%

Canadian GDP Loses Steam

Persistently high interest rates are taking a big bite out of the Canadian economy. In February, Canada’s gross domestic product (GDP) grew just 0.2% on a month-over-month basis. That’s lower than the 0.3% economists were expecting and well below Statistics Canada’s own advanced estimate of 0.4%. On an annual basis, Canadian GDP grew 0.8%, well […]

Canadian Stocks Could Outperform U.S. Stocks in 2024

Canadian Stock

While most investors probably look to the major U.S. exchanges for the biggest annual gains, the TSX could still outpace U.S. stocks in 2024. However, that wasn’t what most analysts were expecting. After all, the S&P 500 rallied an impressive 22% in 2023 compared to the 5.8% growth on the TSX. That was then. It’s […]

Canadian Inflation Inches up to 2.9% in March, Raises Bets of June Interest Rate Cut

Canadian Inflation Inches up to 2.9

According to Statistics Canada, the country’s inflation rate inched up to 2.9% in March, juiced by higher gasoline prices. That’s up from 2.8% in February but still close to its 2% target. The March results were also in line with what Bay Street analysts were expecting. While the consumer price index (CPI) rose slightly, measures […]