Ben Tal, Senior Economist, CIBC shares his thoughts

Last week, we had the privilege of listening to Ben Tal, Senior Economist with CIBC.   He said we can expect rate hikes of between 1.00% to 3.00% over the next 2 years… but he also said that there is no straight line when it comes to interest rate hikes… so we will see staggered rate movement…  Mr. Tal said that he does not see the need for anything above this given that the motivation for any rate hikes by the Bank of Canada is slow the economy and keep inflation in check.

There were 4 charts in particular that caught my eye..

1-The Gap between Consumer Confidence and Consumer Capability.. this chart shows why the Government is concerned about our personal debt levels… The chart shows our confidence is higher than our capabilities…

2-Share of Household with Mortgages has fallen…this chart shows that more Canadians own their homes without mortgages… and that’s great news.. it means more Canadians are paying their mortgage debt down…

3-Size of Average Mortgage on the rise… this chart shows that while more Canadian own their homes without mortgages, the mortgage size has increased and this should be monitored and reviewed…

4-Hosing Affordability…. saving my favorite for last… I’m a big believer in tailoring the mortgage around your affordability.. and this chart shows us that on average, we have a lot of capacity when it comes to absorbing interest rate hikes… this is a chart that should make all Canadians feel good..