Measuring how financial sector economists respond to the tone of Bank of Canada communications Sparks at Bank article Amanda Wang, Xu Zhang, Xinfen Han The words central banks use to explain policy decisions matter. They can, in some cases, affect financial markets just like changes in policy interest rates do. For this reason, we built a tool to track the tone of the Bank of Canada’s policy communications and assess how tone affects market perceptions. Content Type(s): Staff research, Sparks at Bank article Research Theme(s): Models and tools, Econometric, statistical and computational methods, Monetary policy, Monetary policy framework and transmission, Monetary policy tools and implementation
The rise in the Canadian term premium in a global context Sparks at Bank article Eugene Trostin, James Ketcheson, Antonio Diez de los Rios In Canada and abroad, yields on long-term government bonds have stayed high even as policy interest rates have fallen. This is due to rising term premiums―the extra compensation investors demand for holding these bonds. A key factor driving higher term premiums is global concerns about the ability of markets to absorb substantial amounts of government debt. Content Type(s): Staff research, Sparks at Bank article Research Theme(s): Financial markets and funds management, International markets and currencies, Market functioning, Monetary policy, Monetary policy framework and transmission
Examining the macro drivers of mortgage arrears in Canada Staff analytical paper 2026-12 Thomas Michael Pugh, Tao Wang, Taylor Webley Mortgage debt represents over 70% of all Canadian household financial liabilities, and the performance of these debts is critical to the health of the financial system. We explore the relationships between mortgage arrears and key macroeconomic fundamentals such as labour market variables, interest rates, house prices and inflation. We then develop a framework to assess future household mortgage stress. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff analytical paper JEL Code(s): E, E2, E3, E37, E5, G, G5, G51 Research Theme(s): Financial system, Financial stability and systemic risk, Household and business credit, Models and tools, Econometric, statistical and computational methods, Monetary policy, Real economy and forecasting
Beating the “pros” with a semi-structural model of their own inflation forecasts Staff working paper 2026-11 Sergio A. Lago Alves, Waldyr Dutra Areosa, Carlos Viana de Carvalho How can Surveys of Professional Forecasters (SPF) be used to improve inflation forecasts? By using US historical quarterly data on SPF forecasts, we provide better understanding of how we can use forecast disagreement to improve our own forecasts. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers JEL Code(s): C, C1, C11, C5, C53, E, E3, E31, E37 Research Theme(s): Models and tools, Econometric, statistical and computational methods, Monetary policy, Inflation dynamics and pressures, Real economy and forecasting
The Usage of Security Lending Facilities under Unconventional Monetary Policy: Evidence from Sweden Staff working paper 2026-9 Marianna Blix Grimaldi, Fabienne Schneider, David Vestin This paper examines the interaction between quantitative easing (QE) and the securities lending facility (SLF) using a detailed dataset on Riksbank QE purchases, Swedish DMO SLF transactions and OTC repo deals. A theoretical model further shows how excess demand for assets and search frictions shift the SLF from a backstop to a first-resort tool. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers JEL Code(s): E, E5, E52, E58, G, G2, G21 Research Theme(s): Financial markets and funds management, Market functioning, Market structure, Financial system, Financial institutions and intermediation, Monetary policy, Monetary policy tools and implementation
Macro News in Market Moves: Classifying News through Asset Co-movements Staff analytical paper 2026-7 Bruno Feunou, Jean-Sébastien Fontaine, Rishi Vala This paper introduces CLONE, a method that decomposes asset price movements into aggregate demand, productivity, inflation, and monetary policy news, using stocks, bonds, and inflation swaps. CLONE simplicity and forward-looking focus helps guide policymakers in determining the economic drivers behind asset price movements. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff analytical paper JEL Code(s): E, E3, E32, E4, E44, G, G1, G12, G14 Research Theme(s): Models and tools, Econometric, statistical and computational methods, Monetary policy, Monetary policy framework and transmission
MSTest: An R-Package for Testing Markov Switching Models Staff working paper 2026-7 Gabriel Rodriguez Rondon, Jean-Marie Dufour We present the R package MSTest, which implements hypothesis testing procedures to determine the number of regimes in Markov switching models. The package provides several testing frameworks, including Monte Carlo likelihood ratio tests, moment-based tests, parameter stability tests, and classical likelihood ratio procedures. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers JEL Code(s): C, C1, C12, C15, C18, C6, C63, C8, C87 Research Theme(s): Models and tools, Econometric, statistical and computational methods, Economic models, Monetary policy, Real economy and forecasting
Do Monetary Policy Shocks Affect the Neutral Rate of Interest? Staff working paper 2026-6 Danilo Leiva-Leon, Rodrigo Sekkel, Luis Uzeda Can monetary policy influence the neutral real interest rate (r-star)? Using a new statistical model, we show that interest rate hikes tend to lower r-star and long-run growth, but that monetary policy explains only a small share of the long-run decline in r-star. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers JEL Code(s): C, C3, C32, C5, C51, E, E3, E32, E4, E44 Research Theme(s): Models and tools, Econometric, statistical and computational methods, Monetary policy, Monetary policy framework and transmission, Monetary policy tools and implementation
The aggregate and heterogeneous effects of responding to shelter inflation Staff analytical paper 2026-5 Michael Irwin, Matías Vieyra This note examines how monetary policy responses to shelter inflation affect both the overall economy and different households. We find that the aggregate macroeconomic effects of responding to shelter inflation are modest, whereas the redistributive consequences across households are substantially larger. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff analytical paper JEL Code(s): E, E2, E3, E4, E5, G, G5 Research Theme(s): Monetary policy, Monetary policy framework and transmission
AI Paradox: Promise vs. Reality—What It Means for Monetary Policy Staff analytical paper 2026-4 Joshua Brault, Maryam Haghighi, Jing Yang This note reviews the emerging evidence on AI’s labour-market and productivity effects, highlighting early task-level impacts, sizable micro level productivity gains, and the macroeconomic challenges these pose for monetary policy during the transition. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff analytical paper JEL Code(s): E, E2, E24, E3, E31, E5, E50, E52, E58 Research Theme(s): Monetary policy, Inflation dynamics and pressures, Monetary policy framework and transmission, Structural challenges, Digitalization and productivity