The housing market could soon get “interesting,” economists say, as home prices and sales start to edge up, according to a pair of new reports released Friday. In its latest quarterly Home Price Update and Market Forecast, Royal LePage is forecasting that the aggregate price of a home in Canada will increase nine per cent in the fourth … Read more
The Bank of Canada says business and consumer sentiment improved during the first quarter of the year, despite higher interest rates still putting a drag on the economy. The central bank on Monday released its business outlook and consumer expectations surveys, which showed increased optimism as people expect interest rate cuts are nearing. Although firms … Read more
The Bank of Canada is trying to thread a needle. It’s keeping rates higher for longer at least in part because it’s worried a rate cut now could undermine the last two years of pain and progress. “We don’t want to keep monetary policy this restrictive for longer than we have to. But nor do … Read more
January home sales jumped 22 per cent compared with a year ago, the largest year-over-year increase since May 2021, according to The Canadian Real Estate Association. The association says the increase reflected weakness last year, which saw the worst start to almost any year in the past two decades. Home sales in January 2024 were … Read more
The Bank of Canada says record levels of immigration are driving up the cost of housing and recent government efforts to cut the number of non-permanent residents and encourage home building will help lower housing costs, but “only gradually.” “In the short term any increase in population, particularly in an environment of constrained supply, is going … Read more
The recent surge in newcomers is adding to inflation through housing demand, a senior Bank of Canada official said Thursday, warning rental and home prices could continue to rise without a boost to housing supply. In a speech in Windsor, Ont., deputy governor Toni Gravelle acknowledged many of the benefits coming from this rise in immigration, … Read more
