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What To Expect in 2023

Happy new year everyone! I hope everyone reading this took some time to reflect and recharge over the holiday season. There was a lot of negativity swirling around in 2022, and I’m sure a lot of you needed a break from it all. I sure did. It’s easy to get swept up in all of the doom-and-gloom. But if you look at the big picture, you might see that there’s a lot to be optimistic about in 2023 – in the housing market, the economy, and beyond.

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Insights From A Top Canadian Economist: Part 1

Two weeks ago, I attended the National Mortgage Brokers Conference and had the pleasure of seeing one of the most trusted economists in the country speak: Benjamin Tal. Ben is the Deputy Chief Economist at CIBC. I’ve been following him for over 20 years, as have many Canadians, and for good reason; not only is he exceptionally skilled at simplifying complex concepts; he’s also exceptionally skilled at getting it right.

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Rental properties as a secure long-term investment

Warning: More Rate Hikes To Come

Tomorrow will be the 7th rate announcement from the Bank of Canada this year. Of the last 6 announcements, 5 have resulted in rate hikes. Big rate hikes. Rate hikes we haven’t seen yet this century. To put things into perspective, most announcements we’ve seen in the last 12 years haven’t resulted in any movement to rates at all. And when they have, it’s been by no more than 0.25% (up or down).

Not only is it unheard of to announce 5 rate hikes in a row; but these rate hikes have reached as high as a full percentage point. Ludicrous. After 5 unprecedented increases, you would think that rates would plateau. 

Unfortunately I’m here to tell you that we’re not quite out of the woods. Yet.

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How To Navigate Today’s Economy

Rumour has it the worst is yet to come. On October 26th, Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem will very likely increase rates by another 0.50%. Not only will this push the bank prime rate up to 5.95% – it could lead to the average 5-year fixed rate mortgage well above 6.00%. What a mess. As I mentioned in my previous article, the BoC made a critical error and the Canadian people are continuing to pay for it. 

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The 3 Questions I Get Asked Most About Rising Rates

It’s no secret to anyone reading this: rate hikes have gone off the rails. On September 7th, the Bank of Canada announced yet another whopping increase of 0.75% leaving economists scratching their heads. Typically rates increase or decrease by 0.25%, if they change at all. Inflation has forced the BoC to make some pretty drastic decisions… but have they gone too far? 

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