Deglobalization and Trade Fragmentation: Implications for the Inflation-Output Trade-Off Staff analytical paper 2026-24 Matteo Cacciatore, Daniela Hauser, Yuko Imura How do deglobalization and rising trade costs affect monetary policy? A two-country, multi-sector model of Canada and the United States shows that bilateral trade-cost shocks generate a manageable inflation–output trade-off under the existing framework — but larger or more persistent shocks would make look-through policies costlier and riskier. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff analytical paper JEL Code(s): D, D5, D57, E, E5, E52, E58, F, F1, F13, F4, F41, F6, F62 Research Theme(s): Monetary policy, Monetary policy framework and transmission, Monetary policy tools and implementation, Structural challenges, International trade, finance and competitiveness
Climate Change and Socio-economic inequality in the US Staff working paper 2026-16 Barbara Sadaba, Tatjana Dahlhaus This paper examines how climate change affects income inequality across US states. Using a new climate-inequality VAR and a century of daily temperature data, it shows that shifts across the full temperature distribution—not just average warming—have diverse effects on within-state inequality. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers JEL Code(s): C, C1, C11, C3, C32, D, D6, D63, Q, Q5, Q54 Research Theme(s): Models and tools, Econometric, statistical and computational methods, Structural challenges, Climate change
Communicating the Future Direction of Policy Staff analytical paper 2026-16 Jonathan Witmer, Monica Jain This note discusses several ways the BoC could increase communication around future policy, leveraging methods other central banks have used, and discussing the pros and cons of each method for the BoC, keeping in mind that policy rate forecasts typically are not informative beyond 1 or 2 quarters. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff analytical paper JEL Code(s): D, D8, D83, E, E5, E58 Research Theme(s): Monetary policy, Monetary policy framework and transmission, Monetary policy tools and implementation
Supply Shocks in the Fog: The Role of Endogenous Uncertainty Staff working paper 2026-12 Anastasiia Antonova, Mykhailo Matvieiev, Celine Poilly Recessions feature elevated uncertainty. We develop a nonlinear imperfect-information New Keynesian model where procyclical information quality generates endogenous countercyclical uncertainty and precautionary saving. This demand channel can overturn the inflationary impact of negative supply shocks, making them deflationary, unless monetary policy stabilizes the output gap. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers JEL Code(s): D, D8, D81, D83, E, E2, E21, E3, E32, E5, E52 Research Theme(s): Models and tools, Economic models, Monetary policy, Inflation dynamics and pressures, Monetary policy framework and transmission
Public vs. Private Payment Platforms: Market Impacts and Optimal Policy Staff working paper 2026-10 Youming Liu, Francisco Rivadeneyra, Edona Reshidi We study the competition between a welfare-maximizing public payment platform (e.g., CBDC or fast payment system) and a profit-maximizing private platform in a two-sided market, deriving optimal public pricing and showing how network effects, fragmentation, and policy mandates like zero fees or cost recovery shape welfare, usage, and fee incidence. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers JEL Code(s): D, D4, E, E4, E42, E5, E58 Research Theme(s): Money and payments, Digital assets and fintech, Payment and financial market infrastructures, Retail payments
I Am So Tired! I Don’t Know What to Do! Survey Fatigue and Financial Literacy: Results from a Randomized Experiment Staff working paper 2026-5 Anna Chernesky, Kim Huynh, Marcel Voia We use a randomization of question placement in surveys to estimate the causal effect on financial literacy results. We find that financial literacy questions placed at the end of a survey lead to a drop in financial literacy of 5%–15%. This research suggests a measure of financial literacy adapted for survey length. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers JEL Code(s): C, C8, C81, C83, D, D1, D12, G, G5, G53 Research Theme(s): Models and tools, Econometric, statistical and computational methods, Money and payments, Cash and bank notes, Digital assets and fintech, Payment and financial market infrastructures, Retail payments
How Do Some Lower-Income Canadians Pay Staff analytical paper 2026-6 Jerry Buckland, Christopher Henry, Wendy Nur, Aidan Romanow-Bear, Stephen Wild Previous research suggests that lower-income Canadians may have unique experiences with the use of payments, including the use of cash and digital payments. We conduct a case study using data from [the Canadian Financial Diaries project/Canadian financial diaries] to gain insight into how some lower-income Canadians pay. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff analytical paper JEL Code(s): D, D8, D83, E, E4, E41 Research Theme(s): Money and payments, Cash and bank notes, Retail payments
Information, Prices and Buyer Entry Staff working paper 2026-4 Mei Dong, Janet Hua Jiang, Ling Sun In markets with costly buyer entry, information transparency about prices draws in buyers, increasing demand-side competition and putting upward pressure on prices. We show that this buyer entry effect may dominate seller competition as emphasized by conventional wisdom and prices and markups may rise with information transparency. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers JEL Code(s): D, D4, D40, D8, D83, L, L1, L11 Research Theme(s): Models and tools, Economic models
The Value of Mortgage Choice: Payment Structure and Contract Length Staff working paper 2026-2 Michael Boutros, Nuno Clara, Katya Kartashova We study household mortgage choice in a model with three mortgage contracts that differ in their payment structures: fixed-rate fixed-payment, variable-rate variable-payment, and a hybrid variable-rate fixed-payment mortgage where interest rate changes affect principal repayment rather than payment size. We calibrate the model to match mortgage choice patterns in Canada, where all these options are offered with short terms. We demonstrate that restricting contract choice or mandating long terms, as in the U.S. system, can lead to substantial welfare losses by limiting risk management strategies and increasing mortgage pricing ex-ante. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers JEL Code(s): D, D1, D14, E, E2, E21, G, G1, G18, G2, G21, G5, G51 Research Theme(s): Financial system, Financial institutions and intermediation, Household and business credit
Consumers’ Path to Mortgage Delinquency Staff analytical paper 2026-3 Laura Zhao, Jia Qi Xiao, Aidan Witts Analyzing TransUnion data from 2015–2024, this study identifies a systematic timeline of distress where rising credit utilization and non-mortgage arrears precede mortgage delinquency by up to two years. This deterioration intensifies in the final six months, providing a robust suite of high-frequency indicators for monitoring emerging household stress. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff analytical paper JEL Code(s): D, D1, D14, G, G2, G21, G5, G51 Research Theme(s): Financial system, Financial system regulation and oversight, Household and business credit