Author: Sherry Cooper

From Business News Network (BNN): Sherry Cooper, Chief Economist, Dominion Lending Centres says she’s optimistic about the Canadian economy following the Liberal majority victory in the election. She adds that a “very positive attitude” is now in place and the time is right for ramped-up fiscal stimulus to stimulate the economy.

The stunning Liberal victory across the country puts to rest the spectre of political uncertainty. As the news broke, the Canadian dollar was more resilient than expected. Indeed, by the time the national media predicted a Liberal majority government, the Canadian dollar was recovering from its initial drop, showing that Trudeau was seen by the…

The last employment report before the October 19 federal election has to be disappointing for the Harper campaign. The unemployment rate edged up to 7.1 percent–slightly higher than the 7.0 percent posting in August–and employment grew a mere 12,000, in line with modest expectations. At least job seekers must be a bit more optimistic as…

Real gross domestic product (GDP) for July was posted at an better-than-expected 0.3 percent, confirming that the economy rebounded in the third quarter from the contraction in the first half of the year. Although oil prices remain depressed and commodity prices in general have fallen, the economy has been bolstered by the fall in the…

A significant slide in a preliminary measure of China’s factory activity for September is getting more attention than usual because Janet Yellen mentioned concern about China’s economic outlook as a reason for Fed caution. This reduces the odds of a rate hike in October. Data released in China last night showed that companies are struggling…

From Business News Network (BNN): Bank of Canada kept interest rates unchanged Wednesday, in line with economist expectations. Sherry Cooper, Chief Economist, Dominion Lending Centres says although Canada’s economy is currently a mixed bag, there are some signs that it is on its way to gradual growth.

The Bank of Canada kept its key interest rate on hold at 0.5 per cent on Wednesday and said the country’s resource sector continues to adjust to lower prices for oil and other commodities. The decision by the central bank was in line with economists’ expectations. Sherry Cooper, chief economist of the Dominion Lending Centres,…

As expected, the Bank of Canada refrained from cutting interest rates at today’s policy meeting. The recent economic news has shown a marked improvement, precluding the Bank from following on the previous two rate cuts this year. The key policy overnight rate is only 50 basis points (one-half of one percentage points) and another 25 basis…