8 Apr

Canadian Job Market Whimpers in March While US Roars

Labour Force Report

Posted by: Yen (Frank) Feng

March’s Weak Jobs Report Sets The Stage For A June Rate Cut Today’s StatsCanada Labour Force Survey for March is much weaker than expected. Employment fell by 2,200, and the employment rate declined for the sixth consecutive month to 61.4%.  Total hours worked in March were virtually unchanged but up 0.7% compared with 12 months earlier. The details […]

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18 Mar

Canadian Home Sales Stop Falling In February As Prices Hold Steady

Real Estate

Posted by: Yen (Frank) Feng

The Canadian Real Estate Association announced today that national home sales dipped 3.1% m/m in February while home prices were flat, ending a five-month price decline that began last fall. It was noteworthy that prices remained unchanged from January to February, given that they dropped 1.3 from December to January. The MLS Home Price Index […]

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9 Mar

Canadian Employment Gains Strong in February

Economics Insights

Posted by: Yen (Frank) Feng

Today’s StatsCanada Labour Force Survey for February was a mixed bag and shows the dramatic effect of surging immigration. Canadian employment rose by a much stronger-than-expected 41,000, dominated by a 71,000 rise in full-time jobs.  The employment rate–the proportion of the population aged 15 and older who are employed–fell a tick to 61.5%. This is the […]

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1 Mar

Amortization Options

Mortgage Tips

Posted by: Yen (Frank) Feng

  Your mortgage amortization period is the number of years it will take you to pay off your mortgage. Depending on your choice of amortization period, it will affect how quickly you become mortgage-free as well as how much interest you pay over the lifetime of your mortgage (a longer lifetime equals more interest, whereas […]

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21 Feb

Canadian Inflation Falls to 2.9% in January, Boosting Rate Cut Prospects

Inflation News

Posted by: Yen (Frank) Feng

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 2.9% year-over-year in January, down sharply from December’s 3.4% reading. The most significant contributor to the deceleration was a 4% decline in y/y gasoline prices, compared to a 1.4% rise the month before (see chart below). Excluding gasoline, headline CPI slowed to 3.2% y/y, down from 3.5% in December.  […]

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16 Feb

Making Your Home Workspace More Productive

Lifestyle

Posted by: Yen (Frank) Feng

  Fall in love with your home and your workspace again with these tips to help you make your home office space more productive! Establish Boundaries: A key component of being more productive at home is to establish proper boundaries between work and personal life. While not all of us at home have space for a […]

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19 Jan

Canadian Inflation Rises to 3.4% Y/Y In December

Inflation News

Posted by: Yen (Frank) Feng

A Bumpy Road To The Inflation Target Canada’s headline inflation number for December ’23 moved up three bps to 3.4%, as expected, as gasoline prices didn’t fall as fast as a year ago. These so-called base effects were also evident in the earlier US inflation data for the same month. Additional acceleration came from airfares, […]

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7 Jan

Brisk Wage Gains in December Will Keep The BoC Watchful

Economics Insights

Posted by: Yen (Frank) Feng

Today’s StatsCanada Labour Force Survey for December was a mixed bag and far more robust than the weak headline figure suggests. Total employment in Canada barely budged, rising by a mere 100 jobs in the final month of last year. However, the labour force participation rate fell, leaving the unemployment rate at 5.8%. Most economists […]

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