Economic Outlook Archives - Page 2 of 10

20Mar

Today’s hot Vancouver housing market may be just a prelude

[Globe and Mail - March 19, 2021] One year after the pandemic began, and despite initial worries, it turned out to be one of the real-estate industry’s best years. “There are bidding wars on many homes throughout the Lower Mainland, on the Island, and even in the Kootenays,” says Rudy Nielsen, an industry veteran who owns Landcor Data Corporation, Niho Land & Cattle Company and LandQuest Realty Corp. “Realtors, mortgage brokers, mortgage lenders, have never been busier and are making a [...]

Canada, Economic Outlook

17Mar

B.C. economy set to grow in 2021, 2022, forecast suggests

[News 1130 - February 25, 2021] VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – B.C.’s economy is looking up — at least for now — according to a new forecast. Central 1 suggests the provincial economy is going to grow by 4.2 per cent this year and by 4.5 per cent in 2022. Exports and the demand for housing are expected to be the main drivers as economies around the world bounce back from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Vaccine rollout and development are also [...]

British Columbia, Economic Outlook

03Mar

B.C. to extend rent freeze to end of 2021, increase protections against ‘renovictions’

[CBC - March 1, 2021] NDP government says it's meeting recommendations from a 2018 task force on rental issues The British Columbia government says it will introduce legislative changes to extend a rent freeze through to the end of this year to stop illegal "renovictions" and improve the dispute resolution process for tenants and landlords. The province has already introduced and extended a rent freeze during the COVID-19 pandemic, and it says in a news release Monday that new legislative changes will keep it in [...]

British Columbia, Economic Outlook, Vancouver Real Estate

18Feb

Despite the botched vaccine rollout, the Canadian economy is on the ‘cusp of a boom’

[Financial Post - February 17, 2021] The U.S. will be awash in stimulus dollars soon — and Canada must catch that wave The word ‘boom’ is starting to show up in analysts reports. While Canada has botched the vaccine rollout at least in the short-term, pundits believe the blip will soon be in the rearview mirror if more paralyzing delays are few and far between in the near future. The good news is that the Pfizer-BioTech joint venture will deliver more than 878,000 [...]

Canada, COVID-19, Economic Outlook, International Influence, Vancouver Real Estate

18Feb

Canada house prices to build up this year, outpace inflation: Reuters poll

[Reuters - February 1, 2021] BENGALURU (Reuters) - Canadian house prices will continue their upwards march this year, outpacing inflation after hitting record highs in 2020, according to a Reuters poll of property market analysts who said the risk of a COVID-19 resurgence derailing activity was low. Renewed lockdown restrictions after a second wave of infections hit the country are threatening expectations for a strong recovery after the economy likely posted its biggest GDP drop on record of 5.1% in 2020. [...]

Canada, Economic Outlook, Vancouver Real Estate

24Jan

Bank of Canada sees economy shrinking in first quarter as second wave makes for choppy recovery – Interest rate held at 0.25%

[Financial Post - January 20, 2021] Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem, an enthusiastic water skier, borrowed from one of his favourite sports to describe the current state of the Canadian economy. “We’ve said for some time that we’re expecting a choppy recovery and, unfortunately, we’re in a very serious chop,” he said on a Jan. 20 call with reporters after the central bank released a new forecast that predicts an economic contraction this winter. The forecast is a disappointing turn. Canada’s economy [...]

Bank of Canada announcements, Canada, Economic Outlook

02Jan

Canada 2021 Housing Forecasts Call For A Boom … Or The Worst Crash in 40 Years

[Huff Post - January 2, 2021] Amid an unpredictable pandemic, forecasts for the housing market are pretty much all over the map. This could be the toughest year in living memory to make predictions about the economy ― especially the housing market. Amid the worst economic slowdown in decades, home sales and prices soared in many Canadian cities in 2020, along with housing markets in many other countries. The average house price in Canada has shot up by 13.8 per cent over [...]

Canada, Economic Outlook, Toronto, Ontario, Vancouver Real Estate

11Dec

Bank of Canada doesn’t see housing bubble but it’s watching out, deputy governor says

[Yahoo Finance - December 10, 2020] TORONTO — A deputy governor of the Bank of Canada says the central bank is monitoring rising housing prices, as it keeps interest rates low to help borrowers cope with the COVID-19 pandemic. “Making sure we're not creating a bubble is very important here. And so we're keeping an eye on that,” said Paul Beaudry in a Thursday in a wide-ranging question-and-answer session for the Greater Moncton Chamber of Commerce, the Fredericton Chamber of Commerce, [...]

Canada, Economic Outlook

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

05Dec

Why debt is still a four-letter word for housing markets

[Financial Post - November 10, 2020] One usually expects an increase in job losses to impact housing markets by triggering a decline in sales and mortgage debt. The COVID-19-induced job losses are different. Despite the increase in job losses, sales and mortgage debt have also increased in many cities across Canada. Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. (CMHC) in a report released in October warned about elevated household debt levels and the implications for the housing markets. The report said that heavily [...]

Economic Outlook, Toronto, Ontario, Vancouver Real Estate