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Tagcanadian mortgage rates

Ask the Expert: Steve Garganis – How Trump’s tariffs will affect your Canadian mortgage

I will start with a quote from Trump’s book, The Art of the Deal

“I aim very high and then I just keep pushing and pushing and pushing to get what I’m after. Sometimes I settle for less than I thought but I still end up with what I want.“

In the summer of 2016, ahead of the U.S. election, I was sitting at a business dinner. In attendance was one guest who was from the U.S., who had a distinct southern drawl which drew attention from us Canadians.

At the time, presidential hopeful Donald Trump was being mocked and ridiculed by the media as joke. Nobody thought he would be voted in. Then this southern gentleman made this statement: I think Trump will win. We all laughed, but he said the people were tired of the status quo. They didn’t like where the country was going. They were not happy.

And that’s really what it came down to for him: When the masses are not happy in a democratic country, eventually there will be change.

The change happened quickly, and not just for Americans:  Read more – Interview with Steve.

 I hope you will enjoy this article and if you have any questions or would like to discuss I am always available.

Your best interest is my only interest. I reply to all questions and I welcome your comments. Like this article? Share with a friend.

Steve Garganis: 416-224-0114; steve@canadamortgagenews.

Canada Mortgage Bonds - What has Changed

What’s happening with Canada Mortgage Bonds?

Canada Mortgage Bonds - What has Changed

Did you hear the news?   Or did you miss it? Last week the Bank of Canada announced they would stop buying Canada Mortgage Bonds.  But it seems like nobody is talking about this. 

Why should you be paying attention to this?

Continue reading “What’s happening with Canada Mortgage Bonds?”

What’s the TRUE Impact of Policy Changes on the Canadian Mortgage Market?

Boc Mortgage Rule Impacts, Dec 2018

It’s certainly not what the Bank of Canada (BoC) is claiming!

The BoC recently released a document detailing what it believes to be a positive report on the Canadian Mortgage Market, but this article clearly shows how out of touch our government is.

The BoC is applauding their statistics… yet, these numbers show that the government appears to be measuring affordability as a multiple of one’s income – and not by the proven, standard method of debt servicing ratios. This is very odd and, quite frankly, I find it absurd.

Continue reading “What’s the TRUE Impact of Policy Changes on the Canadian Mortgage Market?”

Looking ahead to 2015 rates and trends

happyholidays (1) Seasons Greetings!  Happy New Year!   Quick thank you for making 2014 a great year!  Hope yours was just as special.  And I’m wishing you much success and happiness in 2015.

I’ll make this quick as I’m sure you have some New Year’s Eve celebrations to attend to.

QUICK YEAR IN REVIEW.

  • Interest rates haven’t really changed this year.
  • 5 yr fixed rates are under 3.00%.
  • Variable rate pricing improved to around Prime less 0.60% (less in some cases and dropping).
  •   In fact, looking at the big picture, interest rates haven’t really changed much in the last 4 yrs.   Yet, you wouldn’t know it by reading the newspaper headlines….(sorry to my media friends…)

Let’s get to it.  MY THOUGHTS ON 2015. Continue reading “Looking ahead to 2015 rates and trends”

New threat of Rate hikes… it’s called Finance Minister Flaherty.

Flaherty thumbs up The Federal govt of Canada and the Bank of Canada are supposed to operate independently.  The Minister of Finance gives the Bank of Canada its objectives or its mandate.   And the Bank of Canada is supposed to carry out that mandate.   The dotted line is supposed to allow the Bank of Canada Governor to exercise his/her powers without fear of political influence.

THE COMMENT

But our current Finance Minister, Mr. Flaherty, doesn’t seem to like those rules.  He has repeatedly opened his mouth at inopportune times.   Take last year, for example, when he publicly criticized Manulife Bank and BMO for advertising a 2.99% 5 yr fixed rate.  He actually asked them to pull those ads!  Not that they were the lowest 5 yr fixed rates at the time, but they were the lowest advertised rates by a major BANK. (as my regular readers know, mortgage brokers had lower rates… as they usually do). Continue reading “New threat of Rate hikes… it’s called Finance Minister Flaherty.”