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☆ Private equity finds its next bet: college admissions
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-17 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Now, private equity firms are swooping in to help while taking majority stakes in exchange. Last week, the company announced that it would partner with California-based private equity firm Nexus Capital Management and move its test into a for-profit company. A company owned by private equity can obfuscate what the company actually does to the public and potentially to regulators. Private equity firms “come into industries that are already suffering from a lack of funding,” said Creeks. They’ve had a lack of funding and support and so sometimes private equity is the only viable option.

Persons: New York CNN — It’s, Janet Godwin, “, ” Goodwin, ”, we’ve, Charlie Eaton, Goodwin, Critics, Constantine Yannelis, Rebecca Winthrop, They’ve, ” Powell, Jerome Powell, Powell, Bryan Mena, Chris Isidore, United, Max Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, New York CNN, ACT Inc, U.S ., ACT, Nexus Capital Management, ”, CNN, Nexus, Higher, University of California, ” Nonprofit, Nexus Capital, Savvas Learning Company, Private Equity, Project, University of Chicago Booth School of Business, Center for Universal Education, Brookings Institution, P Global Market Intelligence, College Board, Veritas Capital, “, Bank of Canada, Wilson, Fed, United, United Airlines, Boeing, Alaska Airlines, Federal Aviation Administration Locations: New York, Iowa, California, Merced, Canada

☆ Geopolitical strife is roiling Wall Street. Here’s what investors are watching
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-16 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Those what-ifs could further roil gas and oil prices. But if there’s further conflict, he said, “you’d see a much higher premium for oil prices. If there’s a de-escalation of tensions between Israel and Iran, they said, oil prices should come down over the next few weeks. But if there’s an escalation in conflict, they expect that oil prices could jump to more than $100 per barrel, they wrote in a note Monday. Retail sales rose 0.7% in March from the prior month, a slower pace than February’s upwardly revised 0.9% gain, the Commerce Department reported Monday.

Persons: New York CNN —, JPMorgan Chase, Jamie Dimon, ” Dimon, Jerome Powell, We’ll, Christine Lagarde, Andrew Bailey, Dave Sekera, Israel doesn’t, ”, “, Moody’s, there’s, Chris Isidore, Pete Muntean, Sam Salehpour, Read, Bryan Mena, Claire Tassin Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, New York CNN, Dow, JPMorgan, International Monetary Fund, IMF, Bank, Bank of Canada, Seven, European Central Bank, Bank of England, Morningstar, Nvidia, AMD, Wall Street Journal, Federal Reserve Bank of New, Boeing, Federal Aviation Administration, Alaska Airlines, Commerce Department, Morning, Amazon Locations: New York, Russia, Ukraine, China, United States, Washington ,, Iran, Israel, Federal Reserve Bank of New York

☆ Watch Fed Chair Powell speak live during a policy forum in Washington
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-16 | by ( Jeff Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

[The stream is slated to start at 1:15 p.m. Please refresh the page if you do not see a player above at that time.] Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell speaks Wednesday to the Wilson Center's Washington Forum on the Canadian Economy, in what will likely be his last policy speech before the next central bank meeting. The appearance comes with markets expecting the Fed to keep its benchmark borrowing rate steady until at least September. Recent higher than expected inflation readings have forced investors to recalibrate expectations that the Fed would lower interest rates steadily this year.

Persons: Jerome Powell, Wilson, Powell, Read Organizations: Bank of Canada, Tiff, Wilson, Fed, CNBC, YouTube Locations: Canadian, Canada

☆ Here’s what would happen to the US economy if there are no rate cuts this year
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-16 | by ( Elisabeth Buchwald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

That’s why Fed Chair Powell conveyed on Tuesday the central bank won’t be cutting interest rates any time soon. How would the US economy handle more months of painstakingly high interest rates? Investors are banking on cutsWhen Fed officials initially penciled in three rate cuts at the end of last year, markets hit new highs. But the longer the Fed leaves interest rates higher means more pain could be inflicted on households and businesses, said Goldstein. But not everyone thinks cracks in the economy will widen if the Fed doesn’t cut rates this year.

Persons: Powell, ” Powell, paring, Itay Goldstein, Tesla, Goldstein, ”, Brian Rose, David Mericle, Goldman Sachs Organizations: New, New York CNN — Federal Reserve, Bank of Canada, Tiff, Investors, Dow, Nasdaq, University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business, CNN, Fed, Treasury, UBS Global Wealth Management Locations: New York

☆ BoC to cut rates starting in Q2 2024, house prices seen flat in 2024: Reuters poll
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Mumal Rathore | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Governor of the Bank of Canada Tiff Macklem walks outside the Bank of Canada building in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada June 22, 2020. But Macklem also said "right now, it is not time to start thinking about cutting interest rates." Interest rate futures are pricing the first rate cut in March, earlier than the poll prediction. "Accompanying labour market weakness should put downward pressure on inflation and prompt the Bank of Canada to cut the policy rate around of the spring of 2024," they wrote. That was despite several government measures announced in the latest Fall Economic Statement to boost housing supply and help lenders dealing with homeowners at risk amid high interest rates.

Persons: Blair Gable, Macklem, It's, Avery Shenfeld, Robert Hogue, Sebastian Mintah, Mumal Rathore, Ross Finley, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: Bank of Canada, REUTERS, Reuters, BoC, U.S . Federal, Barclays, CIBC Capital Markets, of Canada, RBC, Desjardins, Moody's, Thomson Locations: Ottawa , Ontario, Canada, BENGALURU, stagnate

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

☆ Bank of Canada says rates may now be at peak, excess demand now gone
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | 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. The Bank of Canada (BoC) - seeking to control soaring inflation - hiked rates 10 times between March of last year and July 2023, pushing them up to a 22-year high of 5.00%. "Higher interest rates are squeezing many Canadians, but these rates are relieving price pressures," Macklem said. "To return to low inflation and stable growth in the years ahead, we need these higher interest rates and slow growth in the short term," he added. Some 60% of mortgage holders have yet to renew their home loans at higher rates, the BoC says.

Persons: Blair Gable, Steve Scherer, David Ljunggren OTTAWA, Macklem, David Ljunggren Organizations: Bank of Canada, REUTERS, BoC, Saint, Saint John Region Chamber of Commerce, CBC, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Ottawa , Ontario, Canada, Saint John, Atlantic, New Brunswick, Reuters Ottawa

☆ Morning Bid: Nvidia shares take bumpy ride after hours
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The logo of NVIDIA as seen at its corporate headquarters in Santa Clara, California, in May of 2022. Courtesy NVIDIA/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsA look at the day ahead in European and global markets from Wayne Cole. The early focus was on Nvidia (NVDA.O), which in AI tech terms is the only company selling shovels during a gold rush. Volumes were so large and orders so backlogged that the price was - unusually - still moving erratically hours into the Asian day. A Reuters poll showed 10 of 19 economists looked for a rise, while market pricing is leaning against a move.

Persons: Wayne Cole, Changpeng Zhao, Zhao, didn't, Hunt, ECB's Centeno, Elderson, Mester, Macklem, Edmund Klamann Organizations: NVIDIA, Handout, REUTERS, Nvidia, Treasury, Fed Bank of Cleveland, Bank of Canada, Thomson Locations: Santa Clara , California, Wayne, China, Sweden's

☆ Morning Bid: AI buzzes but market shrugs at Nvidia beat
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

A trader works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange shortly before the closing bell as the market takes a significant dip in New York, U.S., February 25, 2020. Remarkably, Nvidia managed to vault the sky-high bar for quarterly earnings, revenue and projections yet again in its latest update overnight. Bond volatility (.MOVE) has also fallen to two-month lows, while currency market 'vol' (.DBCVIX) is plumbing 20-month lows. CONCERN OVER HOME SALES, HOLIDAY SEASON SALESNews of a drop in U.S. existing home sales last month to a 13-year low was perhaps as important as the Fed minutes - as was warnings from more major U.S. retailers, this time Best Buy and Nordstrom, about sticky holiday season sales and the need for discounting. The dollar (.DXY) was a touch higher on Wednesday, meantime, with most overseas stock markets firmer too.

Persons: Lucas Jackson, Mike Dolan, thrall, OpenAI, Sam Altman, Changpeng Zhao, October's, Jeremy Hunt's, underperformed, Jeremy Hunt, Bernadette Baum Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, U.S, Nvidia, Federal, Nordstrom, University of Michigan, Bank of Canada, Treasury, Deere, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Thomson, Reuters Locations: New York, U.S, Gaza, China, yearend, York, Beijing

Experts say Trudeau's carbon pricing scheme, known as the carbon tax, works well and cannot be easily replaced. Even the left-leaning New Democrats, who support Trudeau's government in parliament and have previously defended the carbon tax, are calling for the exemption. Analysts said the carbon tax carve-out is another example of inconsistent policy. CARBON TAX REBATEThe carbon tax is intended to discourage use of fossil fuels and accelerate a switch to clean energy, but the recent carve-out underlines how fragile climate policy is in the face of pressing political calculations. In September, Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem said the carbon tax contributes about 0.15 percentage points to the inflation rate, which was 3.8% that month.

Persons: Justin Trudeau, Jessica Lee, Richard Brooks, Brooke, Brooks, Chris Severson, Baker, Pierre Poilievre, clobber Trudeau, Shachi Kurl, Angus Reid, Kurl, Jonathan Wilkinson, Wilkinson, Macklem, Trudeau, Robert Asselin, Asselin, Nia Williams, Steve Scherer, Josie Kao Organizations: Canada's, Ontario Chamber, Economic Summit, REUTERS, Rights Ottawa, Canadian, Provincial, New Democrats, Pembina Institute, Liberal, Conservative, Angus Reid Institute, Atlantic, Natural Resources, Reuters, Bank of Canada, Business Council of Canada, The Business Council, Thomson Locations: Toronto , Ontario, Canada, Ottawa

☆ 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 1 (Reuters) - Spending by federal and provincial governments in Canada will start feeding into inflation next year if current spending plans are maintained, Bank of Canada (BoC) Governor Tiff Macklem said on Wednesday. If governments follow through with spending plans for 2024, it would mean "government spending is starting to get in the way of getting inflation back to target" of 2%, Macklem told members of a Senate committee. If governments spend less, "it would be easier to reduce inflation," Macklem said. The federal government's Fall Economic Statement (FES) could come as early as next week. It looks like there could be more federal spending on the way because Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland has said she will unveil measures in the FES to help Canadians tackle housing and affordability.

Persons: Macklem, Chrystia Freeland, Justin Trudeau, Carolyn Rogers, Rogers, Ismail Shakil, Steve Scherer, David Gregorio Our Organizations: OTTAWA, Bank of Canada, BoC, Thomson Locations: Canada, FES, 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

With the economy stumbling along slower than the Bank of Canada forecast just last week, analysts said there is no need to raise rates again from 5.0%, a 22-year high. July GDP was revised to being marginally negative from an initial report of zero growth, Statistics Canada said. This data reaffirms our view that the Bank of Canada is done raising rates for this cycle," Figueiredo said. The central bank has said its previous rate hikes are sinking in. The projected contraction in third-quarter annualized growth is far lower than the Bank of Canada (BoC) forecast last week.

Persons: Chris Helgren, Tiago Figueiredo, Figueiredo, Macklem, Benjamin Reitzes, Reitzes, Ismail Shakil, Steve Scherer, Dale Smith, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Roberts Bank, REUTERS, Rights OTTAWA, Bank of Canada, Canadian, Reuters, Statistics, BoC, BMO Capital Markets, Thomson Locations: Delta, British Columbia, Canada, Canadian, Statistics Canada, Ottawa

☆ Bank of Canada says high rates, slow growth will impact govt spending
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

OTTAWA, Oct 30 (Reuters) - The Bank of Canada on Monday said higher interest rates and low growth will impact the federal government's budget spending and although the country's fiscal position is sustainable, expenditure should be contained to protect social programs. "Lower growth and higher interest rates will certainly impact on the government's budget," Governor Tiff Macklem told lawmakers in the House of Commons. "I don't think fiscal policy in Canada is in a situation where it's unsustainable. The bank said price risks were on the rise and inflation could exceed its 2% target for another two years. The bank increased rates 10 times between March 2022 and this July to tame inflation, which peaked at a four-decade high of 8.1% last year.

Persons: Macklem, Chrystia Freeland, Ismail Shakil, Steve Scherer, Jonathan Oatis, Marguerita Choy Organizations: OTTAWA, Bank of Canada, Finance, Thomson Locations: Canada, FES, Ottawa

☆ Bank of Canada leaves rates on hold, sees weak growth and stubborn inflation
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Governor of the Bank of Canada Tiff Macklem walks outside the Bank of Canada building in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada June 22, 2020. The bank increased rates 10 times between March 2022 and this July, with inflation peaking at more than 8% last year. Inflation in September dipped to 3.8% from 4.0% in August, and the central bank said it would average 3.5% through mid-2024. "There is growing evidence that past interest rate increases are dampening economic activity and relieving price pressures," the Bank of Canada (BoC) said in a statement. In July, the BoC forecast third-quarter annualized growth of 1.5%.

Persons: Blair Gable, Steve Scherer, David Ljunggren OTTAWA, David Ljunggren Organizations: Bank of Canada, REUTERS, Wednesday, BoC, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Ottawa , Ontario, Canada, Israel, Gaza, Reuters Ottawa

☆ Bank of Canada to leave rates on hold as economy stalls, analysts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-23 | by ( Steve Scherer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Governor of the Bank of Canada Tiff Macklem walks outside the Bank of Canada building in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada June 22, 2020. REUTERS/Blair Gable/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOTTAWA, Oct 23 (Reuters) - The Bank of Canada (BoC) will leave interest rates on hold on Wednesday as the economy stalls, analysts said, though many see the central bank warning that future hikes are still possible with inflation hovering well above its 2% target. Weak growth and a modest easing of inflation "should keep the Bank of Canada on hold," he said. Earlier this month, BoC Governor Tiff Macklem said the economy was not heading for a "serious recession". Macklem "will need to sound sufficiently hawkish to retain current market pricing, which more or less has the Bank of Canada holding rates steady until 2025."

Persons: Blair Gable, Karl Schamotta, Macklem, Royce Mendes, Steve Scherer, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Bank of Canada, REUTERS, Rights OTTAWA, BoC, Cambridge Global Payments, Desjardins Group, of Canada, Thomson Locations: Ottawa , Ontario, Canada

☆ 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

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

☆ Canadians firms see inflation easing, sluggish demand - central bank survey
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-16 | by ( Steve Scherer | David Ljunggren | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

FILE PHOTO: Governor of the Bank of Canada Tiff Macklem walks outside the Bank of Canada building in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada June 22, 2020. About a third expect a recession over the coming year, the same level as the previous quarter, the survey said. Some 27% of businesses see it taking more than three years to bring inflation down to 2%, down from 32% the previous quarter, the central bank said. Some 53% of businesses see inflation remaining above 3% over the next two years, compared with 64% the previous quarter. A separate Bank of Canada survey showed consumers’ inflation expectations for the next year eased slightly, though they remained at more than 5%.

Persons: Blair Gable, “, Steve Scherer, David Ljunggren Organizations: OTTAWA, Bank of Canada, REUTERS, ” Bank of Canada, of Canada, Consumers, “ Firms, Reuters Locations: Ottawa , Ontario, Canada, Reuters Ottawa

☆ Bank of Canada says economy is not heading for a 'serious recession'
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Governor of the Bank of Canada Tiff Macklem walks outside the Bank of Canada building in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada June 22, 2020. REUTERS/Blair Gable/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOTTAWA, Oct 13 (Reuters) - Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem on Friday said the economy is not heading for a "serious recession" and that he is looking for a clear sign underlying inflation is easing ahead of a rate decision on Oct 25. "We're not going to be forecasting a serious recession," Macklem told reporters in a call from Marrakech, Morocco, where he was attending an IMF meeting. Macklem said the bank would be weighing whether to let previous rate hikes work through the economy or raise rates again to counter sticky inflation. "What we're looking for are clear signs that core inflation, underlying inflation, those pressures are easing and inflation is going to be coming down," Macklem said.

Persons: Blair Gable, We're, Macklem, Steve Scherer, David Ljunggren Organizations: Bank of Canada, REUTERS, Rights OTTAWA, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Ottawa , Ontario, Canada, Marrakech, Morocco, Reuters Ottawa

☆ Trudeau expects Canadian interest rates to come down by mid 2024
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Mike Segar/File Acquire Licensing Rights Read moreSept 23 (Reuters) - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expects interest rates are going to start coming down by the middle of next year, in-line with recent Reuters poll estimates, though the latest economic data has turned the central bank more hawkish. We think interest rates are going to start coming down probably middle of next year," Trudeau told the New York Times in an interview just before returning to Canada after attending the United Nations General Assembly. Trudeau's popularity as measured by opinion polls has dropped as Canadians deal with a cost-of-living crisis, sparked by the central bank's record pace of interest rate increases to tame inflation. Trudeau has waded into a sensitive monetary policy debate and past comments on interest rates by his government and other provincial politicians have raised questions about the independence of the central bank. Reporting by David Ljunggren in Ottawa Writing by Denny Thomas, Editing by Franklin PaulOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Justin Trudeau, Mike Segar, Trudeau, Macklem, Chrystia Freeland, Pierre Poilievre, David Ljunggren, Denny Thomas, Franklin Paul Organizations: Canadian, REUTERS, New York Times, United Nations General Assembly, Bank of Canada, BoC, U.S . Federal Reserve, Finance, Minister's, Conservative Party Leader, Franklin Paul Our, Thomson Locations: New York, U.S, Canada, Ottawa

The Canadian central bank had expected productivity, or output per hour worked, to improve as the economy recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, it has fallen in eleven of the last 12 quarters, taking it back to its 2016 level. It also stands to add to unit labor costs, a key measure of inflation pressures coming from higher wages. "Our own forecast is that productivity growth will turn around, but that is a risk to the outlook and if productivity growth continues declining it will make it more difficult to get inflation back to target," Macklem said. The central bank has forecast that inflation will return to its 2% target in the middle of 2025.

Persons: Macklem, Derek Holt, tightens, Holt, Dennis Darby, Doug Porter, Fergal Smith, Steve Scherer, Deepa Babington Organizations: Bank of Canada, Reuters Graphics Reuters, BoC, Scotiabank, Federal Reserve, Canadian Manufacturers, Fraser Institute, BMO Capital Markets, Thomson Locations: Canadian, Canada, freefall, United States, Toronto, Ottawa

☆ Bank of Canada struck intentionally hawkish tone after last rate decision, minutes show
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A sign is pictured outside the Bank of Canada building in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, May 23, 2017. The Bank of Canada (BoC) kept its key rate at 5% on Sept 6, noting the economy had entered a period of weaker growth, but said it could hike again should price pressures persist. The hawkish tone struck by the BoC since the latest rate decision was intentional, according to the minutes, or summary of deliberations, of the six Governing Council members. They "considered the possibility that their decision could be misinterpreted as a sign that policy tightening had ended and that lower interest rates would follow," the summary read. It continued: "They agreed that they did not want to raise expectations of a near-term reduction in interest rates, given that they only considered keeping the policy rate where it is or raising it further."

Persons: Chris Wattie, Steve Scherer, David Ljunggren OTTAWA, Sharon Kozicki, David Ljunggren Organizations: Bank of Canada, REUTERS, The Bank of Canada, BoC, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Ottawa , Ontario, Canada, Reuters Ottawa

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