Canada Archives - Page 4 of 11

10Dec

Bank of Canada stands pat in year’s final rate decision, balancing COVID-19 risks with vaccine optimism

[Globe and Mail - December 9, 2020] The Bank of Canada stood pat on monetary policy in its final scheduled interest-rate decision of an eventful 2020, balancing the near-term economic risks from the second wave of the COVID-19 virus with the arrival of vaccines to alleviate the pandemic. The central bank announced Wednesday morning that its governing council had opted to leave the bank’s key policy rate unchanged at a record-low 0.25 per cent, where it has sat since a series [...]

Bank of Canada announcements, Canada, COVID-19, Economic Outlook

06Dec

Liberals planning national foreign buyers tax in bid to lower housing prices

[Financial Post - December 2, 2020] In this week's fiscal update, government says plan will benefit first-time homebuyers and put more homes on the market. TORONTO — The Liberal government says it will take steps over the next year to tax foreign homeowners who live outside of Canada as part of a plan to lower housing prices. It’s an idea that has been growing in popularity over the last few years in provinces such as British Columbia, Ontario and Prince Edward Island, [...]

Canada, International Influence, Toronto, Ontario, Vancouver Real Estate

28Nov

How long can interest rates stay low once a vaccine arrives?

[CBC - November 10. 2020] Jubilation over the good news about a vaccine has taken markets by storm. Shortly after the news broke on Monday that the U.S. drugmaker Pfizer had a COVID-19 vaccine breakthrough that appeared 90 per cent effective, the Dow Jones industrial average soared more than 1,500 points, , a rise of more than four per cent. The Toronto market also took off. Canadian oil and gas shares shot up on the prospect of people climbing back into cars for road trips [...]

British Columbia, Canada, COVID-19, Economic Outlook, Vancouver Real Estate

01Nov

Bank of Canada phasing out 3 programs set up in early days of COVID-19 to provide emergency liquidity

[CBC - October 16, 2020] Demand has waned in recent weeks, a sign things may be getting back to normal. The Bank of Canada is winding down three emergency programs it set up to provide support to financial institutions during the early days of the pandemic, as demand for all three programs is falling now that things are getting back to normal. In a news release late Thursday, the central bank said it will close two programs known as the Bankers' Acceptance Purchase Facility, or BAPF, and the [...]

Canada, COVID-19, Economic Outlook

03Oct

Buying a home in Canada is suddenly substantially more affordable — but there’s a catch

[Financial Post - October 1, 2020] Don’t expect the income boost we’ve been seeing to last Buying a home in Canada hasn’t been this affordable in four years, but there’s a catch — actually more than one. According to RBC Economics' Housing Affordability Measure out this week the proportion of income Canadians need to meet housing costs (mortgage, taxes, utilities) fell 3.3 percentage points to 47.3% in the second quarter, the most affordable since 2016. Substantial improvements were evident from coast to coast with [...]

Canada, Toronto, Ontario, Vancouver Real Estate

23Sep

Home prices to drop, new report predicts — and even Toronto and Vancouver won’t be immune

[Financial Post - September 23, 2020] Moody's predicts prices for all housing types to fall more than 7 per cent The pandemic will punish Prairie house prices the most in Canada, but even hotspots Toronto and Vancouver will see prices drop on the back of rising rental market vacancies and lower immigration rates, according to a new report. Average single family detached house prices will fall by 6.7 per cent next year as the recovery stalls, economic stimulus fades and debt problems [...]

Canada, COVID-19, Economic Outlook, Toronto, Ontario, Vancouver Real Estate

22Sep

Toronto and Vancouver now joined by two more Canadian cities with ‘overvalued’ homes

[Financial Post - September 21, 2020] Canada's housing market moderately vulnerable, CMHC says Overvalued homes continue to be a feature of Canada’s largest cities during the second quarter as the pandemic bit into the number of houses entering the market, according to the country’s largest public mortgage provider. And other Canadian cities are also seeing home prices heat up. “There was sharp pullback in new listings and resulting low levels of inventory,” the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation said in its second [...]

Canada, COVID-19, Economic Outlook

20Sep

Canada real estate: RBC Economics observes growing preference for single-detached homes over condos

[Georgia Straight - September 8, 2020] Last July, Statistics Canada predicted a shift in demand from condos to single-detached homes. “As working from home becomes more prevalent,” the agency stated,” we may see an increase in the demand for larger living spaces that single-family homes can offer, causing a shift in demand from condominium apartments towards single houses.” A recent housing commentary released by RBC Economics appears to validate the forecast. “Buyers nationwide are demonstrating a stronger preference for single-detached homes,” bank economist [...]

Canada, COVID-19

12Sep

Canada real estate: House of Commons petition says tax on home equity will punish millions of residential owners

[Georgia Straight - September 3, 2020] A petition in the House of Commons opposes the idea of taxing home equity. It calls on Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to reject “any possibility of this tax being implemented in the future”. “It is wrong to punish homeowners with added taxes when they sell their home after years of investment,” the petition states. Home equity is the difference between the market value of a home and the unpaid mortgage. To illustrate, if a home is worth [...]

Canada, Vancouver Real Estate

31Aug

Bank regulator changes rules for mortgage deferrals starting now

[CBC - August 31, 2020] As of July 30, there were roughly $170 billion in outstanding residential mortgage deferrals for big banks Canada's federal banking regulator is phasing out requirements around mortgage deferrals for homeowners hard-hit financially by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions says deferrals granted starting Monday and until the end of September will be able to get special capital treatments for loan and premium payments for up to three months, rather than six. For banks, [...]

Canada, COVID-19