For nearly a decade, Canada’s political stability helped attract foreign investments. Justin Trudeau’s resignation ushers in a new wave of uncertainty. … READ MORE >
finance
Resignation of Canada’s finance minister before release of fall economic statement adds to uncertainty
Chrystia Freeland’s resignation as Canada’s finance minister highlights increasing political uncertainty as financial challenges loom in 2025. … READ MORE >
Bank of Canada cuts interest rate to 3.25% as focus shifts to gap with U.S.
The Bank of Canada lowered its interest rate to 3.25 per cent — an overdue move out of restrictive territory given that inflation has largely been tamed. Expect more rate cuts in early 2025 to get the economy onto an expansionary trajectory. The policy rate should come down to 2.75 … … READ MORE >
Asset management firms are optimistic on Q3 earnings calls as private asset demand rises
Firms mostly focused on increasing inflows and fee revenues, as well as growing their assets under management in Q3; some even reported the best results in their history. … READ MORE >
As financing costs surge, the real economy faces a reckoning: Rising loan costs are squeezing middle market firms
As the era of easy money and low-cost financing ends, middle market businesses are facing a reckoning.
Rising real interest rates are pushing up the cost of commercial and industrial loans, making it harder for these firms to meet payrolls and finance their expansion, according to a new survey from RSM US LLP. The result is a risk to economic growth across the real economy and, potentially, a recession. … READ MORE >
Financial services update: Q4 banking, AI-powered funds, regulatory proposals
In the latest installment of our monthly financial services update, we take a look at banking results from the fourth quarter of 2022, artificial intelligence-powered funds, and two regulatory proposals. … READ MORE >
Financial services update: NIM growth, fintech recap, nonbank financial institution oversight
In the first installment of our monthly financial services update, we take a look at how financial institutions can sustain net interest margin growth, how fintech finished out 2022 and a rule proposed by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to create a registry of nonbank financial institutions. … READ MORE >
Top 5 fintech trends to watch—now, and in the future
The fintech movement is driving a rapid evolution within the financial service industry, resulting in a new infrastructure and platform for the industry’s next generation. … READ MORE >
Already hot ‘buy now, pay later’ space gets a big boost from Amazon
Amazon partnering with Affirm is one of the latest signals that “buy now, pay later” offerings are here to stay, on the heels of strong performance last year, and also signals that online and brick-and-mortar retailers that don’t have BNPL options should assess what that means for their competitiveness. … READ MORE >