Canadian Q2 GDP Growth Plunge-Rebounds Since April

Latest News Kim Stenberg 28 Aug

Canadian Economy Took a Record Nosedive in Q2 Canadian real GDP plunged 11.5% in the second quarter, or -38.7% at an annualized rate, the worst quarterly decline on record (see chart below). This followed an 8.2% plunge in Q1. The worst of the contraction occurred early in the quarter as the lockdown in March and […]

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Record-Setting Canadian Housing Market in July

Latest News Kim Stenberg 17 Aug

Today’s release of July housing data by the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) showed a blockbuster July with both sales and new listings hitting their highest levels in 40 years of data. This continues the rebound in housing that began three months ago. National home sales rose 26% month-over-month (m-o-m) in July, which translates to […]

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COVID Supercharges Canadian Housing Market, Yet CMHC Still Gloomy

Latest News Kim Stenberg 12 Aug

Pandemic Triggers Red-Hot Summer Housing Market We will get the full story on July housing in Canada when the Canadian Real Estate Association releases its July data in the next few days, but local real estate boards have reported a robust July market. Even in Calgary, year-over-year sales have jumped by double digits. Sales in […]

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CMHC Makes it Harder to Qualify for an Insured Mortgage

Latest News Kim Stenberg 5 Jun

CMHC Makes It Harder To Qualify For An Insured Mortgage Once again, the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) is tightening the criteria to get a mortgage with less than a 20% down payment. Any potential home buyer with less than a 20% down payment must purchase default insurance on their loan and have a […]

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Bank of Canada Holds Rate Steady

Latest News Kim Stenberg 3 Jun

Bank of Canada Takes A More Positive Tone On the heels of a devastating decline in the Canadian economy, the Bank of Canada suggested today that the worst of the pandemic’s negative impact on the global economy is behind us, conceding, however, that uncertainty remains high. The Bank today maintained its target overnight rate at 0.25%. […]

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Lockdowns Hit Canadian Q1 GDP

Latest News Kim Stenberg 29 May

Near-Record Decline in Q1 GDP Better Than Flash Estimate The hand-wringing about the Q1 GDP data released today misses the point that the data were actually better than expected. The Canadian economy declined at an 8.2% annualized rate in the first quarter, less harsh than the earlier estimate by StatsCan of -10%. Of course, every sector of […]

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Record Job Losses, Yet Loonie and Stock Market Rally

Latest News Kim Stenberg 14 Apr

Canada Loses Over a Million Jobs in March Employment in Canada collapsed in March, with over one million jobs lost, wiping away over three years of job creation in a single month and highlighting the economic pain the coronavirus pandemic has swiftly delivered. The decline in jobs in Canada, on a proportional basis, was steeper […]

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