The Bank of Canada announced on Wednesday that it would raise its overnight rate to 0.5%, 25 basis points from the lower bound policy rate of 0.25%, to tackle inflation. … READ MORE >
Economics
RSM US Financial Conditions Index shows ebbing confidence
Our composite RSM US Financial Conditions Index opened Tuesday at negative 0.2 standard deviations below zero. Although not significantly different from normal levels of risk, the overall trend shows a loss of confidence and increased volatility. … READ MORE >
Chart of the day: Manufacturing grows as supply chains improve
The manufacturing purchasing managers’ index rose 1 percentage point to 58.6 in February, registering the 21st consecutive month of growth. … READ MORE >
Canada’s growth picked up at end of last year as economy reopened
The Canadian economy ended last year on a strong note, expanding by 4.6% in 2021 on an annual basis thanks to a reopening economy. … READ MORE >
Consumer confidence sours but capital spending holds strong
The final estimate for consumer sentiment in February came in slightly higher than the advance estimate, rising to 62.8 from 61.7 previously, yet remaining at a decade low. … READ MORE >
Canada’s supply chain worsens amid omicron’s spread
RSM Canada’s Supply Chain Index worsened to 1.84 standard deviations below zero in January, down from a revised 1.36 standard deviations below neutral in December as the omicron variant spread across Canada and the world. … READ MORE >
U.S. consumers spend more in January, defying inflation
Personal spending rebounded in January even as inflation rose at the highest rate in decades. … READ MORE >
U.S. new home sales declined in January
New home sales dropped 4.5% in January as high prices and increasing mortgage rates slowed demand. The omicron variant and colder-than-usual weather in January were also factors in the decline. … READ MORE >
Chart of the day: Initial jobless claims continue to decline
Initial jobless claims last week continued to trend down toward the pre-pandemic level after a period of temporary increases because of the omicron variant. … READ MORE >
RSM US Financial Conditions Index tightens amid rising tensions
The RSM US Financial Conditions Index reached neutral at the end of last week and turned negative on Tuesday’s news that Russia would formalize its control of Russian-speaking parts of Ukraine. … READ MORE >