It’s good to be Canadian. While the U.S. housing market crumbled – to a certain degree bringing the global economy along with it, after some slight hiccups, the real estate markets in most Canadian cities have continued a slow and even climb. But only a fool would think that the Canadian economy is not heavily influenced by events in the U.S. and Europe. Here, we review what various economic soothsayers from around the world predict 2012 will have in store for the global economy.
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The Bank of Canada announced this morning that interest rates will remain unchanged for the 11th consecutive time over the past 15 months. The last time the BOC made a change to the overnight lending rate was in September 2010 with a moderate increase of 0.25 per cent. The news is really no news at all, given that nearly all industry professionals and top economists were anticipating no change. But what should be of interest to consumers is the justification behind the decision. Here’s why the Bank of Canada is keeping interest rates where they are.
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It’s the time of year when we shake off the old year and look ahead to guess what the new one will bring. 2011 was a mixed bag of economic drama: real estate, stock market, jobs and other indicators seemed down as often as they were up. What about 2012? The verdict is mixed, the debt crisis in Europe being the pivotal factor. Here’s what’s up for the year.
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It’s the beginning of a new year and everyone’s dying to know; how will the real estate market fare in 2012? Will home prices continue to escalate? Will housing starts continue to rise, or will they slow this year? And what will home sales be like this year? To answer these questions, I’ve done extensive research, gathered the thoughts of some of Canada’s top economists and compiled them here.
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In the red corner… currently weighing in just under the Canadian Prime lending rate at Prime – 0.25%… the 5 year variable rate. And in the blue corner… currently weighing in around 2.99% (new rate advertised January 13, 2012)… the 5 year fixed rate. LET’S GET READY TO RUMBLE!!!!
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