Statistics Canada is set to release its January consumer price index report on Tuesday and forecasters expect Canada’s inflation rate fell. A customer browses an aisle at a Metro grocery store In Toronto on Friday, Feb. 2, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cole Burston
As the Bank of Canada waits for the right moment to start cutting interest rates, some economists are arguing that its decision shouldn’t hinge on the housing market.
Canada’s inflation rate has edged up and down over the last several months after dropping from its 2022 highs as global price pressures fade and the economy cools.
Statistics Canada is set to release its January consumer price index report on Tuesday and forecasters expect Canada’s inflation rate fell. RBC, CIBC and TD all project the annual rate eased to 3.2 per cent, down from 3.4 per cent in December.
Nathan Janzan, RBC’s assistant chief economist says the slowdown was likely driven by energy and food prices.
“Gasoline prices were lower than a year ago in January and food price growth probably continued to slow on a year over-year-basis,” he said.
“I think the attention will be more focused on the other components of CPI, just watching for signs that broader inflation pressures are continuing to slow, if only at a gradual pace.”
As high borrowing costs cause consumers and businesses to pull back on spending, inflation is expected to slowly inch closer to the two per cent target by the end of the year.
But unlike what’s typical when interest rates rise, the housing market won’t be helping the economy slow. Economists widely expect shelter costs to continue soaring this year, making the Bank of Canada’s job that much harder.
“Food and housing are really the ones that are growing at an uncomfortable level and still (remain) the thorn in the side of Bank of Canada,” said James Orlando, TD’s director of economics.
In December, shelter costs were up six per cent from a year ago and grocery prices rose 4.7 per cent annually.
Orlando argues the central bank shouldn’t hold off on cutting interest rates while waiting for the housing market to slow, given that high interest rates aren’t going to help get those costs down.
In a report on Friday, CIBC also noted the central bank isn’t well-positioned to help ease shelter costs.
“Planned reductions in the inflow of foreign students, and perhaps other (government) measures still to come, might be more potent than high interest rates in calming rising rents, while the mortgage interest cost component would be helped by Bank of Canada rate cuts,” the report said.
The Bank of Canada has recently emphasized the outsized role housing has played in propping up inflation. At the interest rate announcement last month, when it opted to continue holding its key interest rate at five per cent, it noted shelter costs are now the primary driver of above-target inflation.
RBC says mortgage interest costs — which are driven by the central bank’s rate hikes — account for a quarter of inflation. If those costs were removed,the bank says inflation would be in the one to three per cent target range.
The Canadian Real Estate Association recently reported home sales picked up in January for a second month in a row. And while prices fell, the association said rising activity suggests the market is starting to “turn a corner.”
The prospect of a rebound is clearly on the Bank of Canada’s mind. In its summary of the deliberations leading to its Jan. 24 rate decision, the central bank said its governing council is concerned that a housing market rebound this spring could keep inflation above its target, even as price growth elsewhere in the economy eases.
Orlando said if the central bank were to cut rates too early, it could cause extra froth in the housing market. But he said says the Bank of Canada should still focus on how the economy overall is faring, rather than fixating too closely on shelter.
“Are you willing to sacrifice the rest of the economy, to bring down shelter inflation? And our analysis shows that you’re not even going to be able to bring down shelter inflation, no matter what you do with interest rates,” he said.
Orlando said to get to two per cent inflation, prices for other goods and services would essentially have to stop growing to compensate for high housing costs.
In a recent speech, governor Tiff Macklem conceded that the central bank can’t do much when it comes to housing costs.
“Housing supply has fallen short of housing demand for many years. There are many reasons why — zoning restrictions, delays and uncertainties in the approval processes, and shortages of skilled workers. None of these are things monetary policy can address,” Macklem said on Feb. 6.
CALGARY – TC Energy Corp. has lowered the estimated cost of its Southeast Gateway pipeline project in Mexico.
It says it now expects the project to cost between US$3.9 billion and US$4.1 billion compared with its original estimate of US$4.5 billion.
The change came as the company reported a third-quarter profit attributable to common shareholders of C$1.46 billion or $1.40 per share compared with a loss of C$197 million or 19 cents per share in the same quarter last year.
Revenue for the quarter ended Sept. 30 totalled C$4.08 billion, up from C$3.94 billion in the third quarter of 2023.
TC Energy says its comparable earnings for its latest quarter amounted to C$1.03 per share compared with C$1.00 per share a year earlier.
The average analyst estimate had been for a profit of 95 cents per share, according to LSEG Data & Analytics.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.
BCE Inc. reported a loss in its latest quarter as it recorded $2.11 billion in asset impairment charges, mainly related to Bell Media’s TV and radio properties.
The company says its net loss attributable to common shareholders amounted to $1.24 billion or $1.36 per share for the quarter ended Sept. 30 compared with a profit of $640 million or 70 cents per share a year earlier.
On an adjusted basis, BCE says it earned 75 cents per share in its latest quarter compared with an adjusted profit of 81 cents per share in the same quarter last year.
“Bell’s results for the third quarter demonstrate that we are disciplined in our pursuit of profitable growth in an intensely competitive environment,” BCE chief executive Mirko Bibic said in a statement.
“Our focus this quarter, and throughout 2024, has been to attract higher-margin subscribers and reduce costs to help offset short-term revenue impacts from sustained competitive pricing pressures, slow economic growth and a media advertising market that is in transition.”
Operating revenue for the quarter totalled $5.97 billion, down from $6.08 billion in its third quarter of 2023.
BCE also said it now expects its revenue for 2024 to fall about 1.5 per cent compared with earlier guidance for an increase of zero to four per cent.
The company says the change comes as it faces lower-than-anticipated wireless product revenue and sustained pressure on wireless prices.
BCE added 33,111 net postpaid mobile phone subscribers, down 76.8 per cent from the same period last year, which was the company’s second-best performance on the metric since 2010.
It says the drop was driven by higher customer churn — a measure of subscribers who cancelled their service — amid greater competitive activity and promotional offer intensity. BCE’s monthly churn rate for the category was 1.28 per cent, up from 1.1 per cent during its previous third quarter.
The company also saw 11.6 per cent fewer gross subscriber activations “due to more targeted promotional offers and mobile device discounting compared to last year.”
Bell’s wireless mobile phone average revenue per user was $58.26, down 3.4 per cent from $60.28 in the third quarter of the prior year.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.
TORONTO – Canada Goose Holdings Inc. trimmed its financial guidance as it reported its second-quarter revenue fell compared with a year ago.
The luxury clothing company says revenue for the quarter ended Sept. 29 totalled $267.8 million, down from $281.1 million in the same quarter last year.
Net income attributable to shareholders amounted to $5.4 million or six cents per diluted share, up from $3.9 million or four cents per diluted share a year earlier.
On an adjusted basis, Canada Goose says it earned five cents per diluted share in its latest quarter compared with an adjusted profit of 16 cents per diluted share a year earlier.
In its outlook, Canada Goose says it now expects total revenue for its full financial year to show a low-single-digit percentage decrease to low-single-digit percentage increase compared with earlier guidance for a low-single-digit increase.
It also says it now expects its adjusted net income per diluted share to show a mid-single-digit percentage increase compared with earlier guidance for a percentage increase in the mid-teens.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.
