Canada’s merchandise trade surplus widened to CAD $1.94 billion in August thanks to rising global demand for energy amid shortages in other countries, Statistics Canada reported on Tuesday. … READ MORE >
Covid-19
Chart of the day: U.S. trade deficit reached record high in August
The U.S. trade deficit rose to a record $73.25 billion in August, up from $70.3 billion in July, as both goods and service trade balances declined. … READ MORE >
Global natural gas prices hit record as middle market girds for difficult winter
Global natural gas prices have climbed to record highs amid soaring demand fueled by the reopening economy and tight supplies. As power outages halt manufacturing and threaten climate commitments, businesses and consumers should brace themselves for a difficult winter. … READ MORE >
Lessons from the American Dream mega-mall
The tortured history of American Dream is a lesson in how ambitious plans with the best of intentions can go awry. … READ MORE >
Americans spent more on building homes than on building anything else for the first time in 14 years
In another sign of the housing market’s continued strength, U.S. spending on residential buildings—both private and public—increased by 0.4% in August to $795.5 billion, while nonresidential spending declined by 0.4% to $788.6 billion, on a seasonally adjusted annual rate. … READ MORE >
Building permits in Canada continued to fall with material shortages
The value of building permits in Canada decreased by 2.1% in August from July to a seasonally adjusted 9.66 billion Canadian dollars as developers continued to feel the effect of supply and labour shortages. … READ MORE >
Workforce transformation: The American labor market, firms and the post-pandemic economy
Widespread labor shortages are hampering companies’ ability to capitalize on an economy that is expanding as the country recovers from a devastating pandemic. Firms will not experience a return to the way things were in the labor markets before the pandemic. … READ MORE >
Strong demand boosted manufacturing growth as PMI reached a four-month high
The headline manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index increased by 1.2 percentage points in September, to 61.1%, continuing to indicate overall expansion of the manufacturing sector. … READ MORE >
Spending posted strong gains in August, a boost from the enhanced child tax credit
Personal spending rose by 0.8% in August, following a downwardly revised 0.1% in July and showing the strong impact of the extra incomes from the enhanced child tax credit that began in July. … READ MORE >
Canada’s GDP showed modest contraction in July
Canada’s gross domestic product in July contracted by 0.1%, continuing the trend from the second quarter. … READ MORE >