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Categories for Bank of Canada

One of Three Things Must Occur for Record Low Mortgage Rates

The Mortgage Report – May 31 And One of Them’s Bad: If you’re rooting for lower mortgage rates, one of the following must happen: Bond yields must drop to record lows Bond yields steer fixed mortgage rates and are largely a reflection of Canada’s economic (inflation) outlook Rooting for economic pain—so mortgage rates fall—isn’t exactly a patriotic sentiment, so we’d...

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Daily Mortgage Report – May 1

Tiff Gets the Nod: Canada’s most important banker will soon be Tiff Macklem. Effective June 3, he’s taking over for Bank of Canada Governor Stephen Poloz. We’ll hear Macklem at BoC rate announcements for the next seven years and already he’s moving markets. Following his appointment Friday, he spoke of: downside risks to the economic recovery the fact that negative...

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Bank of Canada Leaves Key Rate at 0.25%

After slashing rates three times in March and buying billions in bond market instruments to further suppress interest rates, the Bank of Canada pressed <Pause> today. Here’s what happened and how mortgagors should respond. Rate Announcement:No change Overnight rate:0.25% Prime Rate:2.45% (seePrime Rate) Market Rate Forecast:No change until at least 2022 BoC’s Headline Quote:“The Bank’s Governing Council stands ready to...

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Bank of Canada Cuts Rates Again

The Bank of Canada has slashed its key rate for the third time this month, using what many think are its last rounds of monetary policy ammunition.

Fed Shocks Market With Sunday Emergency Rate Cut

The world’s most powerful central bank has slashed its main interest rate by one whole percentage point. This is the U.S. Federal Reserve’s largest emergency cut in its100+ year history. The move is a desperate bid to keep money markets functioning and stimulate borrowing and economic activity.Malls, restaurants, bars, factories, sports seasons, schools, international borders and even Vegas casinos are...

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No Word on Prime Rate + Other Major Mortgage News

Our Big 6 Banks chose not to announce their prime rates following Friday’s surprise Bank of Canada rate drop. Instead, people in a floating rate mortgage or HELOC must wait to learn how the BoC’s move will impact their budgets. Banks could take a few days or more than a week. This isn’t unheard of. Back in 2015, when the...

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Bank of Canada Makes Emergency Rate Cut

The Bank of Canada has made an unscheduled emergency rate cut for the first time since the 2009 financial crisis. Today, it dropped its overnight rate half a point to 0.75%, its second 50-bps cut in nine days. In a statement, the BoC said: “It is clear that the spread of the coronavirus is having serious consequences for Canadian families,...

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Negative Interest Rates. An Increasing Probability for Canada

Canada could see government interest rates below zero for the first time in history. That’s not a prediction, but it’s a real possibility. The probability of recession has surged from the coronavirus pandemic and oil market collapse. The Bank of Canada has just 125 basis points of rate-cutting left before it hits zero. That is insufficient ammunition to fight the...

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Canada’s Prime Rate Drops to 3.45%

A lot of folks out there were skeptical that the big banks would show borrowers love and pass along the full Bank of Canada rate cut.Us included. But banks showed they still have a heart and did us right. RBC led the charge by slashing its prime rate 50 basis points to 3.45%. The rest of the bank herd then...

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Bank of Canada Cuts But Will Prime Follow?

Amid a global growth scare, the BoC has slashed Canada’s most-watched rate for the first time in almost five years. “…The COVID-19 virus is a material negative shock to the Canadian and global outlooks,” the Bank said in its statement today. Despite how concerned the bank is about fuelling more debt, it chopped its overnight target by 50 bps to...

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