March 13, 2020 Bank of Canada lowers overnight rate target to ¾ percent Media Relations Ottawa, Ontario The Bank of Canada today lowered its target for the overnight rate by 50 basis points to ¾ percent, effective Monday, March 16, 2020. The Bank Rate is correspondingly 1 percent and the deposit rate is ½ percent. This unscheduled rate decision is a proactive measure taken in light of the negative shocks to Canada’s economy arising from the COVID-19 pandemic and the recent sharp drop in oil prices. Content Type(s): Press, Press releases
March 13, 2020 Bank of Canada’s Intention to Introduce a Bankers’ Acceptance Purchase Facility In order to support the continuous functioning of financial markets, the Bank of Canada (Bank) is announcing its intention to launch the Bankers’ Acceptance Purchase Facility (BAPF). Content Type(s): Press, Market notices Source(s): Bankers’ Acceptance Purchase Facility
Demand for Payment Services and Consumer Welfare: The Introduction of a Central Bank Digital Currency Staff Working Paper 2020-7 Kim Huynh, Jozsef Molnar, Oleksandr Shcherbakov, Qinghui Yu Using a two-stage model, we study the determinants of Canadian consumers’ choices of payment method at the point of sale. We estimate consumer preferences and adoption costs for various combinations of payment methods. We analyze how introducing a central bank digital currency would affect the market equilibrium. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Research Topic(s): Bank notes, Digital currencies and fintech, Financial services JEL Code(s): C, C5, C51, E, E4, E42, L, L1, L14, L5, L52
March 13, 2020 Press Conference Opening Statement – March 13, 2020 Opening statement Stephen S. Poloz Ottawa, Ontario The Bank of Canada is contributing to the collective effort to support the Canadian economy and financial system, and to ensure credit channels remain open. Content Type(s): Press, Speeches and appearances, Opening statements Research Topic(s): Coronavirus disease (COVID-19)
March 12, 2020 Bank of Canada Announces the Expansion of its Bond Buyback Program and Term Repo Operations In order to support the continuous functioning of financial markets through the provision of liquidity, the Bank of Canada announced two measures today. Content Type(s): Press, Market notices Source(s): Term repo operations
A Uniform Currency in a Cashless Economy Staff Analytical Note 2020-7 Walter Engert, Ben Fung A number of questions can arise when considering the implications of a cashless society. This note considers whether cash is necessary for a uniform currency. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff analytical notes Research Topic(s): Bank notes, Digital currencies and fintech, Financial services, Payment clearing and settlement systems JEL Code(s): E, E4, E41, E42, E5
A Portfolio-Balance Model of Inflation and Yield Curve Determination Staff Working Paper 2020-6 Antonio Diez de los Rios How does the supply of nominal government debt affect the macroeconomy? To answer this question, we propose a portfolio-balance model of the yield curve in which inflation is determined through an interest rate rule. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Research Topic(s): Asset pricing, Debt management, Inflation and prices, Interest rates, Monetary policy JEL Code(s): E, E4, E43, E5, E52, G, G1, G12, H, H6, H63
March 9, 2020 Bank of Canada announces members of Advisory Council for next $5 bank note Media Relations Ottawa, Ontario The independent Advisory Council will develop a short list of iconic Canadians who could be featured on the next bank note. Content Type(s): Press, Press releases
IMPACT: The Bank of Canada’s International Model for Projecting Activity Technical Report No. 116 Patrick Blagrave, Claudia Godbout, Justin-Damien Guénette, René Lalonde, Nikita Perevalov We present the structure and features of the International Model for Projecting Activity (IMPACT), a global semi-structural model used to conduct projections and policy analysis at the Bank of Canada. Major blocks of the model are developed based on the rational error correction framework of Kozicki and Tinsley (1999), which allows the model to strike a balance between theoretical structure and empirical performance. Content Type(s): Staff research, Technical reports Research Topic(s): Business fluctuations and cycles, Econometric and statistical methods, Economic models, International topics JEL Code(s): C, C6, C68, E, E2, E27, E3, E37, F, F0, F01, F3, F32, F4, F47