September 7, 2018

Category: About Sherry Articles Media Reporting on Sherry

Canadian Jobs Plunge in August As Unemployment Rises

In a real shocker, Statistics Canada announced this morning that employment dropped by 51,600, retracing most of the 54,100 gain in July. Economists had been expecting a much stronger number, but the Labour Force Survey is notoriously volatile, and job gains continue to average 14,000 per month over the past year. Full-time employment growth has…

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September 5, 2018

Category: About Sherry Articles Media Reporting on Sherry

Poloz Holds The Line On Rates

As expected, the Bank of Canada held its key overnight rate this morning at 1.5%, asserting that July’s surprising spike in CPI inflation to 3% was in large part because of a jump in airfares. The Bank expects inflation to move back towards 2% in early 2019, as the effects of past increases in gasoline…

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August 30, 2018

Category: About Sherry Articles Media Reporting on Sherry

Q2 Canadian Growth Rebounded to 2.9%

This morning, Stats Canada released the second quarter GDP figures indicating a sharp rebound in growth to its most robust pace in a year. Real gross domestic product growth accelerated to 2.9% (all figures quoted in annual rates), up sharply from the 1.4% pace in Q1. The Q2 result is only slightly above the Bank…

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August 10, 2018

Category: About Sherry Articles Media Reporting on Sherry

Canada’s Jobless Rate Returned to a Four-Decade Low in July

Statistics Canada announced this morning that employment increased in July and the jobless rate fell .2 percentage points to 5.8%–returning to its lowest level since the 1970s posted earlier this year. The economy added a stronger-than-expected 54,100 net new jobs last month–its most significant advance this year. This gain, however, was driven by increases in…

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August 3, 2018

Category: About Sherry Articles Media Reporting on Sherry

Vancouver Housing Activity Weakens as Toronto Rebounds in July

Metro Vancouver The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (REBGV) reported this week that July’s residential housing sales in Metro Vancouver* skidded to their lowest level for that month in 18 years. Residential property sales in the region totalled 2,070 last month, a 30.1% decline from the record level posted in July 2017, and a…

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July 16, 2018

Category: About Sherry Articles Media Reporting on Sherry

First Monthly Canadian Home Sales Gain This Year In June

National home sales rose by 4.1% in June compared to May, the first such rise this year. Even so, June’s sales activity remains well below the monthly pace of the past five years (see chart). The sales gains were led by the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) as 60% of all local housing markets reported increased…

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July 11, 2018

Category: About Sherry Articles Media Reporting on Sherry

Poloz Opens The Door For More Rate Hikes

As expected, the Bank of Canada hiked its key overnight rate this morning by 25 basis points to 1.5%. What wasn’t expected was the hawkish tone of the press release which brushed aside the threat of greater protectionism, instead emphasizing the need for higher interest rates to keep inflation near its target. In today’s Monetary…

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June 18, 2018

Category: About Sherry Articles Media Reporting on Sherry

The Spring Housing Market Continues To Be Weak

As we said last month, April is usually the start of a spring housing market ramp-up, but this year the new mortgage stress test and rising mortgage rates have continued to be a negative factor. Those expecting an early-stage pick-up marking an end to the payback for sales pulled forward into the fourth quarter of…

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June 8, 2018

Category: About Sherry Articles Media Reporting on Sherry

Canada’s May Job Loss in Manufacturing and Construction

Statistics Canada announced this morning that Canada’s employment was little changed in May, and the jobless rate remained at a low 5.8% for the fourth consecutive month. The headlines, however, highlighted the modest 7,500 job losses last month on the heels of a 1,100 job loss in April. The job declines are small in a…

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June 1, 2018

Category: About Sherry Articles Media Reporting on Sherry

U.S. May Unemployment Rate Falls Again to 3.8%

Today’s May employment report showed the jobless rate dropping unexpectedly even further to 3.8%–considerably below the level the Fed once considered to be full employment. It wasn’t long ago that the Fed estimated the long-run equilibrium jobless rate in the range of 4.3%-to-4.7%. Economic theory tells us that very tight labour markets can generate inflation…

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