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When I talk about the "financial system," I am referring to financial institutions and markets, the infrastructure, laws, and regulations that govern and support their operations, and the macroeconomic framework within which they operate. My message for you is that improving the efficiency of Canada's financial system is imperative.

This paper evaluates the effectiveness of macroprudential policies when regulations are uneven across mortgage lender types. We look at credit tightening that results from macroprudential regulations and examine how much of it is counteracted by credit shifting to unregulated lenders. We also study the impact of monetary policy tightening when some lenders are unregulated.

Financing costs are important for both firms and the economy, affecting investment decisions and, ultimately, economic growth. Despite concern among policy-makers that the cost of equity financing may be higher in Canada than in the United States, empirical evidence supporting this view is mixed. Yet Canadian firms may not undertake as many projects that could potentially enhance growth if the cost of equity financing in Canada is relatively high. The article summarizes research by Jonathan Witmer and Lorie Zorn on the influences on the cost of equity in Canada and the United States, using an updated methodology that controls for firm characteristics and aggregate-level factors. In their sample, the cost of equity was 30–50 basis points higher in Canada over 1988 to 2006 but appears to have dropped in the post-1997 period. The results have policy implications related to such factors as firm size, disclosure, and securities regulation and enforcement.

Further to the 26 October 2015 announcement that Deputy Governor Agathe Côté will retire at the end of January 2016, the process to appoint her successor has been initiated. The Board of Directors has formed a selection committee to conduct the search and selection process, with the assistance of global executive recruiting firm Boyden.

Uncertainty is an important consideration for monetary policy decisions and, depending on the circumstances, it can prompt central banks to be more, or less, aggressive, Senior Deputy Governor Carolyn A. Wilkins told the Money Marketeers of New York University in a speech today. “Central bankers have well-established methods to deal with uncertainty in the conduct […]

Effective, evidence-based policy decisions require insights deepened by understanding. We will listen to Canadians’ diverse perceptions and concerns. At the same time, we will work hard to clearly explain the intent and relevance of the Bank’s objectives, and what is needed to achieve them. More than ever, we are focused on turning insights into actions that inspire confidence.

The Bank of Canada today raised the Bank Rate and its operating band for the overnight rate by 1/4 of one percentage point.

We provide an update on the state of the labour market, which has moved into modest excess supply. We also explore why wage growth measures remain elevated and how US trade policy could affect different parts of the labour market. We update the range of benchmarks in our dashboard of indicators.