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☆ A 27-year-old freelance writer increased his income by more than 50% in one year. He explains how GPT-4 and other tools help him bring in six-figures working just 3 hours a day.
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-19 | by ( Kathleen Elkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Read previewIn 2022, Vancouver-based freelance writer Tony Dong made CA$149,000 working about 30 hours per week. "I was kind of stuck, and the choice was between working more hours and billing more or working more efficiently," the financial writer told Business Insider. AdvertisementThanks to GPT-4 and other tools, Dong managed to increase his income by more than 50% in 2023 — he's on track to earn CA$238,000 (about $180,000) as of December 2023 — while working fewer hours. His process looks very similar to how it did in 2022 — he was also using AI tools last year. At the end of the day, "your job as a writer is to make the editor's job as easy as possible."

Persons: —, Tony Dong, Dong, he's, GPT, It's, I'm, they're Organizations: Service, Bank of, Business, . News, USA, Google, Microsoft Locations: Vancouver, GPT, Grammarly

☆ National Bank of Canada's fourth-quarter profit jumps on capital markets strength
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The National Bank of Canada logo is seen outside of a branch in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, February 14, 2019. REUTERS/Chris Wattie/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsDec 1 (Reuters) - National Bank of Canada (NA.TO) reported a rise in fourth-quarter profit on Friday, as a strong performance at its capital markets unit helped offset the hit from bigger provisions. NBC's adjusted net interest income, the difference between what banks earn on loans and pay out on deposits, slumped about 35.1% to C$825 million. Its financial markets segment, however, posted an adjusted net income of C$289 million, up 42%, driven by strength in capital markets and global markets businesses. The bank's adjusted net income rose to C$867 million ($641.13 million), or C$2.44 per share, for the three months ended Oct. 31, from C$738 million, or C$2.08 per share, a year earlier.

Persons: Chris Wattie, Arasu Kannagi Basil, Shilpi Majumdar Organizations: National Bank of Canada, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Ottawa , Ontario, Canada, Montreal, Bengaluru

OTTAWA, Nov 30 (Reuters) - The Canadian economy unexpectedly contracted at an annualized rate of 1.1% in the third quarter, data showed on Thursday, avoiding a recession but showing growth stumbling ahead of next week's interest-rate decision. The economy avoided slipping into a technical recession - defined as two consecutive quarter-on-quarter contractions - because second-quarter GDP data was revised up to a 1.4% gain from an initial report of a 0.2% decline, Statistics Canada said. The BoC has remained on the sidelines since July after lifting its benchmark interest rate to a 22-year high of 5% to tame inflation. "The bottom line is that the economy is still sputtering along," said Royce Mendes, head of macro strategy at Desjardins Group. Real GDP most likely edged up 0.2% in October after a 0.1% gain in September, Statscan said.

Persons: Doug Porter, Royce Mendes, Bipan Rai, Statscan, Ismail Shakil, Steve Scherer, Dale Smith, Divya Rajagopal, Fergal Smith, Mark Porter Organizations: OTTAWA, Bank of Canada's, Statistics, BMO Capital Markets, Canadian, U.S ., BoC, Desjardins Group, Bank of Canada, Bank, CIBC Capital Markets, Thomson Locations: Canadian, Statistics Canada, North America, Ottawa, Toronto

With the Canadian economy showing signs of a slowdown, money markets are pricing in the first interest rate cuts since March 2020 as soon as April, which would bring down mortgage costs. Still, more home buyers took out fixed-rate mortgages in September compared with a year ago, eschewing variable rate mortgages where the interest rate varies based on current market rates. Since then, the central bank has raised the key interest rate to a 22-year high of 5% in July. The share of fixed rate loans among five-year and three-year mortgages rose to 68% in August compared with 32% a year ago. In the first three weeks of November, 79% of mortgage seekers in Canada opted for a fixed mortgage, said Hanif Bayat, CEO of financial data firm Wowa Leads.

Persons: you've, Macklem, Sophie Tremblay, Hanif Bayat, Wowa, Carolyn Rogers, Rogers, Ryan Sims, William Coyle, Nivedita Balu, Denny Thomas, Deepa Babington Organizations: TORONTO, Bank, Bank of Canada, Montreal, NEW, National Bank analysts, BoC, The Mortgage Group Inc, Bank of, Thomson Locations: Canada, Niagara, Huntsville, Toronto

☆ Some Bank of Canada governors saw likely need for higher rates - minutes
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Governor of the Bank of Canada Tiff Macklem walks outside the Bank of Canada building in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada June 22, 2020. "Some members felt that it was more likely than not that the policy rate would need to increase further to return inflation to target," the minutes read. The minutes went on to say that the council decided to be "patient" and leave rates on hold. "They agreed to revisit the need for a higher policy rate at future decisions with the benefit of more information," the minutes said. The bank increased rates 10 times between March 2022 and this July, with inflation peaking at more than 8% last year.

Persons: Blair Gable, Steve Scherer, David Ljunggren OTTAWA, Macklem, David Ljunggren Organizations: Bank of Canada, REUTERS, Bank of Canada's, BoC, CBC, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Ottawa , Ontario, Canada, Reuters Ottawa

OTTAWA, Nov 7 (Reuters) - Canada's trade surplus with the world increased twice as much as forecast in September, as higher crude prices helped exports gain for a third straight month, data showed on Tuesday. September's trade surplus gained to C$2.04 billion ($1.48 billion), Statistics Canada said, compared with a Reuters poll pointing toward a C$1.00 billion surplus. Energy products led the gains, mainly due to higher crude oil prices that coincided with the extension of voluntary production cuts by OPEC+. Partly offsetting the gains, exports of metal and non- metallic mineral products fell 10.7% in September from an all-time high in August. Overall, motor vehicles and parts recorded its sixth consecutive monthly rise, despite strike disruptions in the United States - Canada's biggest trade partner.

Persons: Stuart Bergman, Bergman, Shelly Kaushik, Ismail Shakil, Steve Scherer, Fergal Smith, Dale Smith, Ed Osmond, Chizu Organizations: OTTAWA, Statistics, Export Development Canada, Energy, ., Canadian, greenback, Bank of Canada's, BMO Capital Markets, Thomson Locations: Statistics Canada, United States, Toronto, Ottawa

Amid the economic turmoil of the pandemic, his government racked up Canada's highest ever deficit. Failing to curb spending now risks "the market dictating to you what you have to do with fiscal policy," said Doug Porter, chief economist at BMO Capital Markets. "I do think they have to trim the sails a bit," he added. "It's going to be easier to get inflation down if monetary and fiscal policy are rowing in the same direction," Macklem said. Fitch Ratings stripped Canada of its triple-A credit rating in June 2020, citing pandemic spending.

Persons: Justin Trudeau, Doug Porter, Chrystia Freeland, Katherine Cuplinskas, Trudeau, Macklem, Desjardins, Randall Bartlett, Simon Deeley, Robert Asselin, DBRS Morningstar, Julia Smith, Steve Scherer, Fergal Smith, Denny Thomas, Josie Kao Organizations: OTTAWA, Trudeau's Liberal, BMO Capital Markets, Finance, International Monetary Fund, of Canada's, BoC, UK, RBC Dominion Securities Inc, New, Business Council of Canada, Fitch, Moody's Investors, Canada, Thomson Locations: Canada, FES, Germany, High, Ottawa, Toronto

☆ Canadian dollar hits 7-month low as BoC stays sidelined
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( Fergal Smith | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A Canadian dollar coin, commonly known as the "Loonie", is pictured in this illustration picture taken in Toronto, January 23, 2015. The Canadian central bank held its key overnight rate at a 22-year high of 5.0%, as expected, for a second straight meeting. Wall Street fell after lackluster corporate results, while the U.S. dollar (.DXY) rallied against a basket of major currencies. Canadian government bond yields were higher across a steeper curve but the move for shorter-dated maturities was less than for the equivalent U.S. Treasury yields. The 2-year rose 2.9 basis points to 4.749%, while the 10-year was up 11.3 basis points at 4.131%.

Persons: Mark Blinch, Tom O'Gorman, we're, Michael Goshko, maturities, Fergal Smith, Sandra Maler Organizations: REUTERS, greenback, BoC, Canadian, U.S, Bank of, Franklin Templeton, Convera Canada, U.S ., Treasury, Thomson Locations: Toronto, TORONTO, Canadian, Franklin Templeton Canada, Wall

☆ BoC likely done raising rates, to cut by mid-2024 say economists: Reuters poll
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( Milounee Purohit | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The risk of a revival in inflation, last measured at 3.8%, has led most to forecast now is not the time for the central bank to strongly signal they are done raising rates. Twenty-nine of 32 economists polled Oct. 13-20 expect no change to the central bank's 5.00% overnight rate (CABOCR=ECI), with the remaining three expecting a 25 basis point hike. While most are confident the central bank is done hiking, a significant minority of economists who answered an additional question, 8 of 18, said the risk of the BoC raising rates at least once more is "high". Still, a two-thirds majority, 20 of 30, see the BoC cutting its overnight rate at least once before end-June 2024. The distribution of where economists saw the overnight rate by end-June was split many ways.

Persons: Randall Bartlett, underscoring, Tony Stillo, Milounee Purohit, Maneesh Kumar, Ross Finley, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Bank of Canada, BoC, Desjardins, U.S . Federal Reserve, Oxford Economics, Bank, Thomson Locations: BENGALURU, Canada

☆ Canada's Conservative leader urges rejection of RBC's offer for HSBC Canada -media
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A sign for the Royal Bank of Canada in Toronto, Ontario, Canada December 13, 2021. REUTERS/Carlos Osorio/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOct 19 (Reuters) - Pierre Poilievre, Canada's Conservative party leader, called for the federal government to reject Royal Bank of Canada's (RY.TO) C$13.5 billion ($9.84 billion) offer to buy HSBC's (HSBA.L) domestic unit, the Globe and Mail reported on Thursday. "If the biggest bank in Canada simply buys up a growing smaller player, then there's no hope of ever having more competition in Canadian banking," he told the newspaper. Last month, Canada's Competition Bureau said that RBC's takeover of HSBC Canada was unlikely to hurt competition, clearing the way for the country's largest bank to push ahead with its biggest acquisition. Still, the regulator found that the deal would "result in a loss of rivalry between Canada's largest and seventh-largest banks."

Persons: Carlos Osorio, Pierre Poilievre, Poilievre, Gnaneshwar Rajan, Christian Schmollinger Organizations: Royal Bank of Canada, REUTERS, Conservative, Royal Bank of Canada's, Globe and Mail, HSBC, HSBC Canada, Thomson Locations: Toronto , Ontario, Canada

REUTERS/Carlos Osorio/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOTTAWA, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Canada's annual inflation rate unexpectedly slowed to 3.8% in September and underlying core measures also eased, data showed on Tuesday, prompting markets and analysts to trim bets for another interest rate hike next week. Analysts polled by Reuters had forecast inflation to hold steady at the 4.0% rate recorded in August. Two of the Bank of Canada's (BoC's) three core measures of underlying inflation also decelerated. Money markets trimmed bets for a rate hike next week after the data. "There's no need for further rate hikes in Canada," Reitzes said.

Persons: Carlos Osorio, Jules Boudreau, stoking, Benjamin Reitzes, Reitzes, Statscan, Derek Holt, Macklem, Ismail Shakil, Steve Scherer, Dale Smith, Fergal Smith, Divya Rajagopal, Jonathan Oatis, Nick Zieminski Organizations: REUTERS, Rights OTTAWA, Reuters, Statistics, Mackenzie Investments, Bank of Canada's, Bank of Canada, BoC, BMO Capital Markets, Scotiabank . Bank of Canada, Thomson Locations: Toronto , Ontario, Canada, Statistics Canada, Mackenzie, Ottawa, Toronto

In Canada, homeowners can take out five-year mortgages, unlike in the U.S. where customers can snag a 30-year mortgage. In some cases, renewed home loan rates could reach 7%, which would push up the average Canadian mortgage by at least a few hundred dollars per month, mortgage brokers estimate. Canadians are already struggling to repay their debts amid high costs of living and rising interest rates. "This dramatic rise in bond yields means that when the computer chugs along and sets up the rates for next week, they will be using higher rates based on these high bond yields," Toronto-based mortgage broker Ron Butler said. He suggests that the spike in bond yields over the past month could on average add C$600 in monthly payments.

Persons: Lars Hagberg, Daniel Vyner, Wowa, Ron Butler, Justin Trudeau's, Hanif Bayat, Butler, Nivedita Balu, Fergal Smith, Denny Thomas, Josie Kao Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Capital, Bank of, Canada Mortgage, Housing Corp, Bank of Canada, Mortgage Professionals Canada, Thomson Locations: Ottawa , Ontario, Canada, U.S, Toronto

☆ Canadian factory PMI falls to three-year low in September
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( Fergal Smith | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The S&P Global Canada Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) fell to a seasonally adjusted 47.5 in September, its lowest level since May 2020, from 48.0 in August. "In line with the global industrial downturn, the Canadian manufacturing sector continued to experience lacklustre performance during September," Paul Smith, economics director at S&P Global Market Intelligence, said in a statement. "Output and new orders both fell to steeper degrees amid evidence of slow market demand. The output index fell to its lowest level since August 2022 at 45.6 from 47.7 in August. Signs that cost pressures were stabilizing provided some encouragement, with the input price index dipping to 50.4 from 53.9 in August.

Persons: Paul Smith, Smith, Fergal Smith, Andrea Ricci Organizations: TORONTO, P Global Canada Manufacturing, PMI, P Global Market Intelligence, Bank of, Thomson Locations: Canadian

☆ Canada economy stalled in July, most likely grew by 0.1% in Aug
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Christinne Muschi Acquire Licensing RightsOTTAWA, Sept 29 (Reuters) - Canada's economy stalled in July as the manufacturing sector posted its biggest decline for more than two years, but it most likely grew by 0.1% in August, Statistics Canada said on Friday. Analysts polled by Reuters had forecast a 0.1% month-over-month rise in July. Overall, the service-producing sector edged up 0.1% in July while the goods-producing sector posted a 0.3% contraction. The manufacturing sector shrank by 1.5% over June, the biggest month-on-month drop since April 2021, largely due to firms drawing down their inventories. The bank held its key overnight interest rate at 5% on Sept 6, noting the economy had entered a period of weaker growth.

Persons: Christinne, David Ljunggren, Dale Smith Organizations: Port, REUTERS, Rights, Statistics, Reuters, Bank of, Mining, Bank of Canada's, Thomson Locations: Port of Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Statistics Canada, Pacific, British Columbia

☆ Hot inflation data helps lift Canadian dollar to 6-week high
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Fergal Smith | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A Canadian dollar coin, commonly known as the "Loonie", is pictured in this illustration picture taken in Toronto, January 23, 2015. The Canadian dollar was trading 0.3% higher at 1.3440 to the greenback, or 74.40 U.S. cents, after touching its strongest intraday level since Aug. 10 at 1.3383. Canada's annual inflation rate in August jumped to 4.0% from 3.3% in July on higher gasoline prices. "The oversold nature of the Canadian dollar going into the release suggests that exchange rate gains could be generated in the shorter term." Speculators have raised their bearish bets on the Canadian dollar to the highest since May, data from the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission showed on Friday.

Persons: Mark Blinch, Karl Schamotta, Sharon Kozicki, Fergal Smith, Nick Zieminski, Sandra Maler Organizations: REUTERS, greenback, Canadian, U.S, Bank of Canada, Reuters, Bank of Canada's, U.S . Commodity Futures Trading, BoC, Thomson Locations: Toronto, TORONTO, Canadian

Two of the three core inflation measures also rose. The annual rate, the highest since the 4.4% reported in April, is double the Bank of Canada's 2% target. "Underlying inflation is still well above the level that would be consistent with achieving our target of 2% CPI inflation," she said. Money markets raised bets for a rate hike in October after the data, seeing a 42% chance of an increase after the price figures compared with 23% before. However, another inflation report and a bevy of other data are due out before the Canadian central bank next meets on Oct 25 to set the key overnight rate.

Persons: Derek Holt, Holt, Sharon Kozicki, Jimmy Jean, Justin Trudeau's, Andrew Grantham, David Ljunggren, Steve Scherer, Dale Smith, Fergal Smith, Divya Rajogopal, Paul Simao, Mark Porter Organizations: Reuters, Statistics, Bank of Canada's, Scotiabank, Bank of, Bank of Canada, Canadian, Desjardins Group, CIBC Capital Markets, Tiff, Thomson Locations: OTTAWA, Statistics Canada, Canadian

REUTERS/Chris Wattie/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsTORONTO, Sept 17 (Reuters) - Bank of Montreal (BMO) (BMO.TO) is winding down its indirect retail auto finance business and shifting focus to other areas in a move that will result in an unspecified number of job losses, Canada's third-largest bank said. The bank, which announced the move on Saturday, has conducted this business in Canada and the United States. Under the indirect retail auto finance business, the bank works with car dealerships to arrange financing for buyers, who make monthly payments to the lender. "By winding down the indirect retail auto finance business, we have the ability to focus our resources on areas where we believe our competitive positioning is strongest," BMO said in a statement to Reuters. The remaining loans in this portfolio are primarily auto loans, but also include other loans, including loans for boats, recreational vehicles and motorcycles, Edward Jones analyst James Shanahan said.

Persons: Chris Wattie, Paul Hunsley, Edward Jones, James Shanahan, Nivedita Balu, Denny Thomas, Jane Merriman, Susan Fenton, Will Dunham, Diane Craft Organizations: of Montreal, BMO, REUTERS, Rights, Bank of Montreal, Reuters, The, Bank, Thomson Locations: Ottawa , Ontario, Canada, United States, California, Toronto

☆ Canada finance minister defends central bank independence after rate comment
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Thomas White/Illustration Acquire Licensing RightsSept 6 (Reuters) - Canadian Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland defended the central bank's independence on Wednesday after her comments welcoming the Bank of Canada's decision not to increase its key interest rate raised concerns to the contrary. In a widely expected decision, the Bank of Canada held interest rates steady at a 22-year high of 5%. It is rare for Canadian government ministers to publicly back or criticize central bank policies. Like many developed economies, the Bank of Canada makes its monetary policy decisions independent of the federal government. In June, when the central bank raised rates for the first time after a four-month pause, Freeland stressed that she respected the independence of the central bank, a sentiment she repeated in a press conference later in the day.

Persons: Thomas White, Chrystia Freeland, Freeland, Derek Holt, Pierre Poilievre, Justin Trudeau's, Steve Scherer, David Ljunggren, Denny Thomas, Leslie Adler Organizations: Canadian Finance, Bank of, Bank of Canada, Conservative, Liberal, Ontario, Thomson Locations: Canada, Bank of Nova Scotia, British Columbia, Ottawa

Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem takes part in a news conference after announcing an interest rate decision in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada April 12, 2023. The central bank hiked rates by a quarter point in both June and July in a bid to tame stubbornly high inflation, which has remained above the bank's 2% target for 27 months. Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem will deliver a speech and hold a press conference to discuss the decision on Thursday. Reuters GraphicsLiberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's support has sagged amid high inflation as his Conservative rival, Pierre Poilievre, hammered him for fueling inflation with government spending and driving up rates during a housing crisis. "The Bank of Canada's decision to maintain its overnight interest rate is welcome relief for Canadians," Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said in a statement.

Persons: Blair Gable, Doug Porter, Andrew Kelvin, Justin Trudeau's, Pierre Poilievre, Chrystia Freeland, Steve Scherer, David Ljunggren, Fergal Smith, Ismail Shakil, Divya Rajagopal, Nivedita Balu, Mark Porter Organizations: Canada, REUTERS, Rights, Bank of Canada, Wednesday, Governing, BoC, BMO Capital Markets, Canadian, Reuters, TD Securities, Reuters Graphics Liberal, Conservative, Finance, Thomson Locations: Ottawa , Ontario, Canada

Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem takes part in a news conference after announcing an interest rate decision in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada April 12, 2023. REUTERS/Blair Gable/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOTTAWA, Sept 6 (Reuters) - The Bank of Canada on Wednesday is expected to keep rates on hold at a 22-year high of 5% after the economy unexpectedly shrank in the second quarter, analysts said. While the economy turned negative in the second quarter, inflation has been stubborn, unexpectedly rising to 3.3% in July as core measures remained well above 3%. Canada's Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's support has sagged amid high inflation as his Conservative rival, Pierre Poilievre, hammered him for feeding inflation with government spending and driving up rates during a housing crisis. But core inflation measures are inching down slowly, and a wealth of data is due out before the bank next meets to discuss rates in October.

Persons: Blair Gable, Derek Holt, Justin Trudeau's, Pierre Poilievre, Tiago Figueiredo, Holt, Steve Scherer, Mark Porter Organizations: Canada, REUTERS, Rights, Bank of Canada, of Canada, Scotiabank, Canada's Liberal, Conservative, Bank of Canada's, Desjardins Group, Reuters, BoC, Thomson Locations: Ottawa , Ontario, Canada

☆ Dollar eases as risk appetite improves on China's measures
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-04 | by ( Joice Alves | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] U.S. Dollar and Euro banknotes are seen in this illustration taken July 17, 2022. The China-sensitive euro was up 0.25% at $1.0799, just off a 10-week low touched last week against the dollar. The Australian dollar and the New Zealand dollar also got a lift from those measures. "The U.S. dollar is softening against most other G10 currencies today as risk appetite improves on the back of China support measures," said Jane Foley, head of FX strategy at Rabobank. The Canadian dollar slipped 0.07% to 1.359 per dollar ahead of the Bank of Canada's policy meeting this week, with the central bank expected to hold rates.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Jane Foley, Christine Lagarde, Isabel Schnabel, Foley, Jeremy Hunt, Sterling, Joice Alves, Ankur Banerjee, Sharon Singleton, Christina Fincher Organizations: REUTERS, U.S, Australian, New Zealand, Rabobank, European Central Bank, ECB, FOCUS, Reserve Bank of Australia, Canadian, Bank of, Thomson Locations: China, Beijing, FOCUS British, U.S, London, Singapore

That has led to a rare situation in Canada where banks are seeing mortgage amortizations getting extended beyond 30 years, sparking calls from regulators to take immediate action to mitigate risks. For the other four banks, mortgages amortizing under 25 years account for a half to nearly three quarters. Scotiabank's Canada head Dan Rees said the bank was now being more "disciplined with regards to customer selection" for new mortgages. Still, the risks remain elevated as consumers are struggling to make monthly payments due to the rising cost of living. TD Bank's Canada personal banking head Michael Rhodes told analysts this week that "a meaningful number of customers" are making the changes.

Persons: Mark Blinch, Hratch Panossian, Dan Rees, Brian Madden, Michael Rhodes, Dave McKay, Nivedita Balu, Denny Thomas, Stephen Coates Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Canada's, Reuters, CIBC, Bank of Nova, Investment, Thomson Locations: Toronto, Milton , Ontario, Canada, Bank of Nova Scotia

☆ Canadian dollar posts biggest loss in 1 month as economy shrinks
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( Fergal Smith | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A Canadian dollar coin, commonly known as the "Loonie", is pictured in this illustration picture taken in Toronto January 23, 2015. The loonie was trading 0.6% lower at 1.3595 to the U.S. dollar, or 73.56 U.S. cents, its biggest decline since Aug. 1. "The Bank of Canada's job is done," said Adam Button, chief currency analyst at ForexLive. "The Canadian dollar is selling off because the debate will quickly shift to when rate cuts are coming. Separate data showed that the contraction in Canada's manufacturing sector gathered pace in August.

Persons: Mark Blinch, Adam Button, It's, Fergal Smith, Frances Kerry, Alison Williams Organizations: REUTERS, greenback, Canadian, U.S, of Canada, U.S ., Thomson Locations: Toronto, TORONTO, Canada

The second-quarter reading was far lower than the Bank of Canada's (BoC's) forecast for a 1.5% annualized GDP growth as well as the 1.2% gain expected by analysts. The quarterly slowdown was largely due to declines in housing investment and smaller inventory accumulation as well as slower international exports and household spending, Statistics Canada said. The central bank hiked its benchmark overnight rate to a 22-year-high of 5.0% in July, the tenth increase since March of last year. The high interest rate environment has coincided with falling housing investment, which recorded its fifth consecutive quarterly decrease in the three months ended in June. The housing investment decline was led by a sharp drop in new construction as well as a fall in renovation activities, Statscan said.

Persons: Stephen Brown, Andrew Kelvin, Statscan, downwardly, Doug Porter, Ismail Shakil, Steve Scherer, Dale Smith, Fergal Smith, Nivedita Balu, Mark Porter Organizations: Bank of Canada's, North, Capital Economics, Bank of Canada, Statistics, BoC, Reuters, TD Securities, Money, Canadian, BMO Capital Markets, Thomson Locations: OTTAWA, North American, Statistics Canada, Canada

☆ Canada's antitrust agency favors RBC's $10 billion deal for HSBC unit
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A sign for the Royal Bank of Canada in Toronto, Ontario, Canada December 13, 2021. REUTERS/Carlos Osorio/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSept 1 (Reuters) - Canada's Competition Bureau said on Friday Royal Bank of Canada's (RY.TO) (RBC) proposed acquisition of HSBC's (HSBA.L) domestic unit for C$13.5 billion ($10 billion) is unlikely to substantially hurt competition. Still, the regulator found that the deal would "result in a loss of rivalry between Canada's largest and seventh largest banks." It has been seeking comments on how the deal could impact consumers and the stability of the banking sector. Reporting by Manya Saini in Bengaluru and Nivedita Balu in Toronto; Editing by Arun KoyyurOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Carlos Osorio, OSFI, Manya Saini, Balu, Arun Koyyur Organizations: Royal Bank of Canada, REUTERS, Friday Royal Bank of Canada's, RBC, Finance, HSBC, Reuters, Bank of Montreal, Thomson Locations: Toronto , Ontario, Canada, Bengaluru, Toronto

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