Canada’s annual inflation rate slowed to 2.9 per cent in January, mostly due to a deceleration in the price of gas, Statistics Canada said Tuesday. Economists were expecting the rate to come in at 3.3 per cent. Gas prices fell four per cent year over year in January after driving headline inflation up to 3.4 per cent in December, due to … Read more
After the pandemic hit in 2020, some business owners and households were hard hit financially as a result of lockdown measures. But at the same time, many Canadians saw their bank accounts grow because of their reduced spending. Those savings ballooned to over $300 billion and became so large that economists expected there would be … Read more
U.S. consumer prices increased more than expected in January amid rises in the costs of shelter and health care, but it likely won’t change expectations that the Federal Reserve will start cutting interest rates in the first half of 2024. The consumer price index (CPI) increased 0.3 per cent last month after gaining 0.2 per cent in December, … Read more
The U.S. economy grew at an unexpectedly brisk 3.3 per cent annual pace from October through December as Americans showed a continued willingness to spend freely despite high interest rates and price levels that have frustrated many households. Thursday’s report from the U.S. Commerce Department said the gross domestic product — the economy’s total output of goods … Read more
Canada’s annual inflation rate jumped to 3.4 per cent in December, according to data released by Statistics Canada on Tuesday. That’s after both October and November saw inflation hold steady at 3.1 per cent compared to the previous year. StatsCan said that the price of gasoline, air travel, passenger vehicles and rent drove the figure higher in December. Food … Read more
A Bank of Canada survey finds Canadians are increasingly cutting back on spending while mortgage holders remain confident they can keep up with higher payments when their loans renew. The central bank released its fourth-quarter consumer expectations and business outlook surveys Monday, revealing how Canadians are faring amid higher borrowing costs and rising prices. Roughly … Read more
Improved financial performance at Vancouver-based retailer Aritzia sent the company’s stock soaring on Thursday morning by more than 20 per cent, though some experts warn the company isn’t out of the woods after a challenging year saw the company’s red-hot hype start to simmer down. The clothing chain announced its latest quarterly earnings on Wednesday after … Read more
In 2002, three months after Milton Friedman turned ninety, a celebratory conference was convened at the school that had become synonymous with his ideas. Ben Bernanke, then a member of the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors, delivered a talk at the University of Chicago on “Depression and Recovery.” It had been thirty-nine years since Friedman … Read more
Cost of Living1:56Mike von Massow Skyrocketing prices have taken a big bite out of what Canadians are able to serve up for dinner but food economists say our ability to cope has been worsened by our collective decline in cooking skills. “We are less able to cook than we were 30 or 40 years ago, … Read more
Canada’s annual inflation rate held steady at 3.1 per cent in November, matching the previous month’s rate, according to data released by Statistics Canada on Tuesday. Economists were expecting the rate to fall below the three per cent threshold, putting the economy closer to the Bank of Canada’s two per cent inflation goal. Mortgage interest costs and the high cost … Read more
