CategoryBank News

Posted April 3, 20233 Comments Bank News

Free Money Will Cost Canadians

There’s one reason and one reason only that rates have skyrocketed by 4.25% in less than 10 months: inflation. The Bank of Canada has made it their mandate to bring inflation down to 2% – a far cry from the peak at 5.9%. Their plan is to jack up rates so that people will have less disposable income. The idea is that less disposable income will lead to less personal spending. Less personal spending will lead to lower demand for goods. Lower demand for goods will eventually lead to lower prices on those goods.

Essentially, for this plan to work, Canadians need to spend less money. It’s as simple as that. So why in the world does the Prime Minister keep giving Canadians more money to spend?

Posted February 2, 20231 Comment Bank News

Is This the End of Rate Hikes?

The last few months have been tough to say the least. Variable rates are at their highest levels in 20 years. The prime rate has gone up 4.25% in less than 12 months. Every Bank of Canada announcement feels like it could be another 50 point jump. If you’re a homeowner, it’s seemingly never ending. The news certainly doesn’t help you feel otherwise. But if you take a look at what’s happened in the past, you’ll see that the time we’re in isn’t so unprecedented. We’ve been here before and we’ve gotten out of it – and I believe we’re doing it all over again.

Posted January 6, 2023 Bank News

What the New Foreign Buyers Ban Means For You

Now that the dust has settled from the holidays and we’re back into the swing of things, we’re reminded that January 1st, 2023 wasn’t just the first day of the new year; it was also the first day of Canada’s new foreign buyers ban. The ban was passed through parliament last summer and is now officially in place prompting many Canadians to ask, “what does this mean for me?” Unfortunately, the answer isn’t so simple.

Posted December 9, 20221 Comment Bank News

A Stand-Off Between the Bank of Canada and the Government of Canada

To start off, a bit of good news for once: the average 5-year fixed rate mortgage has fallen over the last two months. Some qualified borrowers are now able to secure a rate as low as 4.89%. But of course, it is good news, so you probably didn’t see it reported in the mainstream media.

Here’s what you likely did see: the overnight rate went up by yet another 0.50% on December 7 to 4.25%. Another staggering increase at a time when most experts predicted rates would start levelling out. Not only is this rate hike significant – it’s actually record-breaking. A whopping 4.00% increase in just 9 months took us from some of the lowest rates of this century to the highest.

Posted November 4, 20221 Comment Bank News

Insights From A Top Canadian Economist: Part 2

Canadian economist Benjamin Tal’s presentation at the National Mortgage Brokers Conference was eye-opening. In it, he posited a holistic view of what’s happening with the Canadian economy and what we can expect to happen next. He’s rarely been wrong in the 20 years I’ve been following him – so I thought it was incredibly important to share his insights with you.

Part 1 of this series dives into the forces he believes are impacting inflation. These include international economies as well as lasting effects from the pandemic. There’s one factor however that I believe is most responsible for our current economic climate and is worthy of a larger conversation: the labour market.