Results from the winter Business Outlook Survey continue to indicate positive business sentiment and elevated capacity pressures in most regions. For firms in the Prairies, the outlook has weakened.
Overall household lending conditions were unchanged this quarter, although mortgage approval rates were lower. More widespread easing of business lending conditions continues to be driven by competition for corporate borrowers.
In his final speech of 2018, Governor Stephen S. Poloz discusses the vulnerabilities and risks in Canada’s financial system as well as Canadian and global economic developments. He explains how all this was taken into account in the December interest rate decision.
The Bank of Canada today maintained its target for the overnight rate at 1 ¾ per cent. The Bank Rate is correspondingly 2 per cent and the deposit rate is 1 ½ per cent.
The Bank of Canada Museum is inviting Canadians of all ages to visit the new exhibition A Noteworthy Woman, which depicts the life of Viola Desmond, an icon of the human rights and social justice movement in Canada and the first Canadian woman to appear on a regular bank note.
The Bank of Canada today announced the five finalist teams in the 2018–19 edition of The Governor’s Challenge, a competition where university students simulate the role of advisor to the Bank’s Governing Council.
Senior Deputy Governor Carolyn A. Wilkins discusses how monetary and macroprudential policies interact with each other and how they affect financial stability.