Anyone want a camper? It’s a buyer’s market for RVs as pandemic-era sales fizzle

Like a lot of Canadians, Alan Hong and his wife bought a trailer in 2020. Air travel was out of the question because of pandemic restrictions, and it made sense to spend time and money exploring the great outdoors.  But now, they’re looking to get off life on the open road and get back in … Read more

Home sales and prices edging up as housing market ‘could get interesting,’ reports say

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

Bank of England scraps fan charts in forecast overhaul

The exterior of the Bank of England in the City of London, United Kingdom. Mike Kemp | In Pictures | Getty Images LONDON — The Bank of England on Friday announced a “once in a generation” overhaul of its inflation forecasting following a long-awaited review by former Federal Reserve Chair Ben Bernanke. The review — initiated after criticism of … Read more

Goldman still expects stubbornly high U.S. inflation to fall this year

Goldman Sachs still expects stubbornly high U.S. inflation to ease over the coming months, despite investors slashing bets for Federal Reserve interest rate cuts, after yet another print showed that consumer prices remain sticky. The consumer price index accelerated at a faster-than-expected pace in March, according to data published on Wednesday by the Labor Department’s … Read more

El-Erian says the Fed has turned into a play-by-play commentator

Mohamed Aly El-Erian, chief economic advisor for Allianz SE.  Bloomberg | Getty Images The U.S. Federal Reserve has become too data dependent and has lost sight of its overall strategy, Mohamed El-Erian, chief economic adviser at Allianz, said Friday. The economist told CNBC that a longer-term, more strategic outlook could see policymakers settle on a … Read more

Some consumers, businesses are feeling more optimistic about the economy, say BoC surveys

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

Apartment construction surged last year but demand still outpacing supply, says CMHC

A surge in new apartment construction drove housing start increases in some major Canadian cities last year, but demand continues to outweigh supply, according to a report released Wednesday by the federal housing agency. The report from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation focuses on six major cities: Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton and Ottawa. Their combined housing … Read more

Don’t sweat the prospect of no Fed rate cuts, economist says

Federal Reserve Bank Chair Jerome Powell speaks during a news conference at the bank’s William McChesney Martin building on March 20, 2024 in Washington, DC. Chip Somodevilla | Getty Images News | Getty Images Markets will continue to rally even if the Federal Reserve chooses not to cut interest rates this year, according to Steven … Read more

Canada Goose is laying off 17 per cent of its global corporate staff

Luxury parka maker Canada Goose says it is laying off 17 per cent of its global corporate workforce. CEO Dani Reiss wrote in a LinkedIn note Tuesday that the job cuts are meant to put the company in a better position for scaling and will help the Toronto-based business focus on efficiency and key brand, design … Read more

Canada’s inflation rate slowed to 2.8% in February, beating expectations for 2nd month in a row

Canada’s annual inflation rate cooled to 2.8 per cent in February, helped by slower growth in the cost of cellular services, groceries and internet access services, Statistics Canada said Tuesday. Economists had largely expected the rate to rise to 3.1 per cent and undo some of the year’s early progress. Rent and mortgage interest costs continued to be primary … Read more