TagDonald Trump

Posted February 27, 20184 Comments Interest rates

Interest Rates are Rising… and Expected to Continue… But!

Rates have been rising gradually over the past six months following several years of historically-low rates. There should be no surprise that rates are rising – it was bound to happen. But, we can be thankful they’re not predicted to spike. It’s much easier to deal with – and plan for – gradual increases.

Benjamin Tal, Deputy Chief Economist of CIBC World Markets Inc, spoke last week about his predictions for rates and a bunch of other economic indicators. I’ve been following him for 15 years now. He’s one of the few economists whom I respect, as his forecasts have proven very accurate. So, let’s pay attention!

Continue reading “Interest Rates are Rising… and Expected to Continue… But!”

Posted January 2, 20175 Comments Interest rates

Mortgage rate outlook 2017.. Expect Fixed mortgage rates to go up…Expect Variable rate pricing to drop.

Fixed mortgage rates have increased by about 0.40% in the last 6 weeks. Today’s 5 year fixed rates are at around 2.89% and will could continue to go up in 2017. There are political and fundamental reasons why rates have gone up. (oh, by the way.. it’s not panic time.. who ever said that 5 yr fixed rates were the best product to choose anyways? more on this later.)

FUNDAMENTAL REASONS

Govt of Cda bond yields have gone up around 0.55% since October (fixed rates are priced from govt of Cda bond yields). It’s more expensive for Lenders to fund mortgages due to stricter government regulation and higher Capital holding requirements. These increased costs are being passed down to the consumer.

Okay, this is the “how” the rates are higher.. but what’s prompted these fundamentals? Why are rates higher?

POLITICAL REASONS.. IT’S ALL POLITICS Continue reading “Mortgage rate outlook 2017.. Expect Fixed mortgage rates to go up…Expect Variable rate pricing to drop.”

Posted November 14, 2016 Interest rates

Unexpected Trump win on Canadian mortgage rates and market.

The surprise Donald Trump US election win has caught many off-guard. The pollsters have been quiet to comment after they all predicted a Clinton win.

Here’s what week 1 looks like, after the Trump win. The first few days saw some chaos in the stock market. Stock market went down and so did Govt of Canada bond yields.

However within a day, the stock market began to rise. The Dow Jones hit all time record highs. The Toronto market was up also, but not as much as the US. The Canadian $ took a bit of a beating. And the Govt of Canada bond yields started to rise. This last one is important to watch.

Fixed mortgage rates are closely tied to govt of Canada bond yields. We’ve now seen Bond yields increase by over 0.35%. that’s a huge increase in such a short period of time. Banks and Mortgage Lenders have begun to increase fixed mortgage rates.

Investors are betting on Trump stimulating the US economy and taking no foreign prisoners. That’s caused some jitters in the markets. I’m watching the markets closely. This could just be a short term reaction. Or, it could be an adjustment to the record low mortgage rates.

MY VIEW… Continue reading “Unexpected Trump win on Canadian mortgage rates and market.”

Posted May 27, 2015 Real Estate news

Trump’s George Ross says Canada’s Housing market is undervalued….

George Ross is Donald Trump’s Executive VP. He’s Trump’s senior advisor and has worked with Trump for 30 years. You’ve probably seen him on TV on ‘The Apprentice’. This week, he was quoted as saying Canada’s real estate market is undervalued, not overvalued. That’s quite the opposite of what the so-called experts have been saying for 8 or 9 years. (by the way, where are those experts now?)

If you listen to his interview, he makes some good points. Office properties have more upward potential than residential properties. But the residential market follows the Office or commercial market. He also says that buying a house for a quick flip isn’t a good strategy. It may sound good on the TV shows, but it’s a risky game to play. Mr. Ross says more fortunes have been lost in real estate than have been made. Continue reading “Trump’s George Ross says Canada’s Housing market is undervalued….”