Do Firms’ Sales Expectations Hit the Mark? Evidence from the Business Leaders’ Pulse Staff Discussion Paper 2025-15 Owen Gaboury, Farrukh Suvankulov, Mathieu Utting We analyze Canadian data from the Bank of Canada’s Business Leaders’ Pulse, examining firms’ sales growth expectations. We find that expected growth predicts outcomes, uncertainty influences forecast errors and revisions, and firms with weak past performance anticipate and experience weaker future growth. These results highlight the survey’s value for understanding business expectations. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff discussion papers Research Topic(s): Firm dynamics, Monetary policy and uncertainty JEL Code(s): C, C8, C83, D, D2, D22
November 19, 2025 Canada’s weak productivity: reversing course Speech summary Nicolas Vincent Association des économistes québécois (ASDEQ) and CFA Québec Québec, Québec External Deputy Governor Nicolas Vincent discusses Canada’s longstanding weak productivity, what can be done to reverse the trend, and how we would all benefit if we do. Content Type(s): Press, Speeches and appearances, Speech summaries Research Topic(s): Domestic demand and components, Financial services, Firm dynamics, Inflation and prices, International topics, Labour markets, Monetary policy, Productivity, Trade integration
November 19, 2025 Toward a virtuous circle for productivity Remarks Nicolas Vincent Association des économistes québécois and CFA Québec Québec, Québec External Deputy Governor Nicolas Vincent discusses the most critical areas to focus on to improve Canada's productivity, which would make the economy more resilient and raise everyone's standard of living. Content Type(s): Press, Speeches and appearances, Remarks Research Topic(s): Domestic demand and components, Financial services, Firm dynamics, Inflation and prices, International topics, Labour markets, Monetary policy, Productivity, Trade integration
October 9, 2025 Prosperity through productivity Speech summary Carolyn Rogers Canadian Club Toronto Toronto, Ontario Senior Deputy Governor Carolyn Rogers discusses how productivity growth can boost Canada’s prosperity and resilience, especially in a shock-prone world. Focusing on Canada’s banking sector, she explains how competition can improve productivity. But, she warns, it comes with trade-offs that must be managed carefully. Content Type(s): Press, Speeches and appearances, Speech summaries Research Topic(s): Financial institutions, Financial services, Financial system regulation and policies, Firm dynamics, Productivity
October 9, 2025 Productivity’s competitive edge Remarks Carolyn Rogers Canadian Club Toronto Toronto, Ontario Senior Deputy Governor Carolyn Rogers discusses how productivity growth can boost Canada’s prosperity and resilience. She also outlines how upcoming financial sector reforms are designed to increase competition. Content Type(s): Press, Speeches and appearances, Remarks Research Topic(s): Financial institutions, Financial services, Financial system regulation and policies, Firm dynamics, Productivity
Firm Heterogeneity and Adverse Selection in External Finance: Micro Evidence and Macro Implications Staff Working Paper 2025-20 Xing Guo, Pablo Ottonello, Thomas Winberry, Toni Whited We develop a heterogeneous firm macro model with private information and quantify the aggregate relevance of asymmetric information. We find that a spike in private information account for 40% of the decline in aggregate investment during the 2007-2009 financial crisis and made monetary stimulus significantly less effective. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Research Topic(s): Business fluctuations and cycles, Financial markets, Firm dynamics, Monetary policy JEL Code(s): D, D8, D82, E, E2, E22, E3, E32, E5, E52, G, G3, G30
Examining the Links Between Firm Performance and Insolvency Staff Discussion Paper 2025-10 Dylan Hogg, Hossein Hosseini Jebeli Assessing insolvency dynamics is essential for evaluating the financial health of non-financial corporations and mitigating macroeconomic and financial stability risks. This study leverages a newly created Statistics Canada dataset linking insolvency records with firm-level financial data to develop a robust framework for monitoring insolvency risk Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff discussion papers Research Topic(s): Credit and credit aggregates, Econometric and statistical methods, Financial stability, Firm dynamics JEL Code(s): D, D2, D22, G, G3, G33, L, L2, L20
The Mutable Geography of Firms’ International Trade Staff Working Paper 2025-11 Lu Han Exporters frequently change their market destinations. This paper introduces a new approach to identifying the drivers of these decisions over time. Analysis of customs data from China and the UK shows most changes are driven by demand rather than supply-related shocks. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Research Topic(s): Economic models, Firm dynamics, International topics, Trade integration JEL Code(s): F, F1, F12, F14, L, L1, L11
Bouncing Back: How Mothballing Curbs Prices Staff Working Paper 2024-51 Thibaut Duprey, Artur Kotlicki, Daniel E. Rigobon, Philip Schnattinger We investigate the macroeconomic impacts of mothballed businesses—those that closed temporarily—on sectoral equilibrium prices after a negative demand shock. Our results suggest that pandemic fiscal support for temporary closures may have eased inflationary pressures. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Research Topic(s): Central bank research, Firm dynamics, Fiscal policy, Inflation and prices JEL Code(s): C, C5, C55, C8, C81, D, D2, D22, E, E3, E32
The (Mis)Allocation of Corporate News Staff Working Paper 2024-47 Xing Guo, Alistair Macaulay, Wenting Song We study how the distribution of information supply by the news media affects the macroeconomy. We find that media coverage focuses particularly on the largest firms, and that firms’ equity financing and investment increase after media coverage. But these equity and investment responses are largest among small, rarely covered firms. Our quantitative studies highlight that the aggregate effects of media coverage depend crucially on how that coverage is allocated. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Research Topic(s): Financial markets, Firm dynamics JEL Code(s): D, D2, D22, D6, D61, L, L1, L11, L2, L20