In-depth reports on key current economic issues and events of importance for Canada, the United States and some international economies.

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Canada Labour Market

October 11, 2024

Employment jumped by 47,000 in September and the unemployment rate unexpectedly edged lower for the first time since January to 6.5%.

RBC U.S. Inflation Watch

October 10, 2024

The small upward surprise in September price growth isn’t likely enough to prevent the Fed from following through with additional interest rate cuts, but further lowers odds of another 50 bps reduction.

US Labour Market

October 4, 2024

The strong report saw market odds drop for another 50 basis point rate cut in the Fed’s next meeting in November.

Podcast: The 10-Minute Take

October 3, 2024

Claire Fan and Carrie Freestone discuss why 2% in Canada is different from before and what this means for the economy going forward.

Canadian GDP Update

September 27, 2024

The 0.2% increase in July GDP was stronger than the advance estimate a month ago, but still leaves Q3 growth tracking below the Bank of Canada’s forecast.

Three reasons why 2024’s 2% inflation isn’t 2019’s 2%

September 25, 2024

Canada is back at 2% inflation, but it’s too soon to pop the champagne. What’s driving prices now looks very different from before the pandemic.

Older Reports

RBC Consumer Spending Tracker Falling inflation, rising jobless rate usher in easing cycles in Canada and abroad RBC Canadian Inflation Watch Proof point: Financial returns after a post-secondary education have diminished Bank of Canada policy update Weighing the impact of Canadian tariffs on Chinese EVs and metals Proof point: U.S. import tariffs haven’t reduced reliance on foreign goods U.S. GDP growth jumps Proven points: Rents, wages, inflation and other top reads from Proof Point Proof Point: Canada’s economy might not be in recession but it feels like one Proof point: Rental housing construction picks up in Canada but will it be enough? Proof Point: The Canadian tourism sector is struggling to stage a rebound Proof Point: Canadian inflation is unlikely to pick up again like in the U.S. Proof Point: Not addressing population aging can be very costly Proof Point: A weaker Canadian dollar won’t necessarily derail BoC interest rate cuts Federal Budget 2024: Lack of spending restraint offset by revenue surprise and tax hikes Proof Point: Governments face higher interest costs when straying from fiscal anchors How lowering the number of non-permanent residents will impact Canada’s economy Proof Point: Immigrants participation in the labour force surpasses those born in Canada Proof Point: Canadian renters face higher hurdles to accumulating wealth than homeowners Proof Point: Weak productivity is threatening Canada’s post-pandemic wage growth Proof Point: International student cap won’t immediately cut rental demand in Canada Proof Point: Consumer spending headwinds should ease in second half of 2024 Proof Point: Students and new graduates are bearing the brunt of the labour market downturn
Navigating 2024: Reset and Revival In A Reshaping World Proof Point: Why has U.S. consumer spending been so much more resilient than Canada's? Proof Point: Closing Canada’s infrastructure gap could boost Indigenous output by up to 17% Proof Point: Fiscal tailwinds coming to an end for Canada’s provinces Proof Point: For Canada, slower growth in China is a manageable risk Proof Point: The ranks of Canadian entrepreneurs are shrinking Proof Point: Is more turbulence on the way for Canadian labour relations? Proof Point: International students have a fast track to Canadian employment Proof Point: Canadian millennials have the smallest cushion against job losses Canadians on the move: will a pandemic shakeup in migration trends hold? Proof Point: Non-permanent residents can fill labour gaps in “greying” Canadian industries Proof Point: Soaring construction costs will hamper Canada’s homebuilding ambitions How Indigenous Business Can Accelerate Canada’s Net Zero Transition Proof Point: Food inflation will slow, but don’t expect prices to drop Proof Point: Canadians’ post-pandemic travel fever holds steady Five signs North America’s labour markets are starting to crack Proof Point: Banking turmoil is tightening already strained U.S. lending conditions Proof Point: More Canadians to fall behind on debt payments—but most will manage Proof Point: Will a weak Canadian dollar fire up inflation? Proof Point: Canada’s economy can’t afford a slump in business investment Proof Point: Canada’s shortage of rental housing could quadruple by 2026 Policy Insight: How Canada can win in the post-IRA economy Proof Point: Canadian women drove a pandemic shift into higher-paying jobs Proof Point: Canada is failing to put immigrant skills to work Proof Point: Without investment, Canadian wages could reignite inflation Proof Point: Canadians are still clinging to pandemic savings Proof Point: Canada needs green subsidies more than ever
Navigating 2023: Canada in the cross currents Proof Point: Is Canada becoming a nation of renters? The Transformative Seven: Technologies that can drive Canada's next green revolution Proof Point: Canada needs more doctors—and fast Proof Point: Canada’s provinces are basking in revenue, but how long will it last? The Next Green Revolution: How Canada can produce more food and fewer emissions Financing Greener Growth: The fall economic statement needs to accelerate green investment Proof Point: The housing-charged boom in Canadian net wealth is over Proof Point: Canada’s recession to arrive earlier than expected Proof Point: Canada still isn't spending enough on the green economy The Price of Power: How to cut Canada's Net Zero electricity bill Proof Point: The rise of services in Canadian goods trade Course Correction: How international students can help solve Canada's labour crisis Proof Point: Fewer supply chain snarls won't be enough to lower inflation to 2% Proof Point: Demographics a powerful counterforce in Canada’s housing market correction Proof Point: Reshoring hasn't spurred a Canadian manufacturing renaissance Canadian Housing: A Market In Retreat Proof Point: Canada's labour shortages will outlive a recession Proof Point: Canada's economy is headed for a recession Immigration Nation: New Canadians are vital to an aging society Proof Point: Can Canada feed the world? Proof Point: Canadians are scratching the travel itch again, but can the industry keep up? Proof Point: Immigration will fuel Atlantic Canada's population upswing Proof Point: Canadians can't kick cash Proof Point: Low income Canadians to feel sharpest sting from inflation, rate hikes The New Climate Bargain: How Canada Can Manage Energy & Environmental Security Proof Point: Canada's post-pandemic labour market shakeup Laying the Foundation: Canada's 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan Pandemic leaves Canadians richer—but saddled with more debt Equal measures: Advancing Canada's working women in a post-pandemic economy Green Collar Jobs: The skills revolution Canada needs to reach Net Zero Unleashing Opportunity: The economic gains in narrowing Canada’s racial wealth gap COVID Consumer Spending Tracker
The Great Canadian Restart: How 2022 can spark an era of greener, more robust growth What's up with inflation? Net Zero: A long way from Glasgow Squeeze Play: Higher wages alone won’t solve Canada’s labour shortage problem Closing the global sustainable finance gap The Canadian housing market outlook Brighter Days Ahead: Fiscal picture improves from coast to coast The Great Canadian Savings Puzzle The $2 Trillion Transition: Canada’s Road to Net Zero The new challenges facing Canada's small businesses A Regional Renaissance: More Canadians drawn to live on the Atlantic Coast during pandemic Home builders are tackling Canada's housing supply shortage Powering Up: Preparing Canada's skilled trades for a post-pandemic economy The Economic Pulse – September 2021 Edition Are sky-high job vacancies in Canada around for a while? Why isn't Canada investing enough in green projects, despite ambitious climate targets? Border carbon taxes are moving from idea to reality. How exposed is Canada? Building Bandwidth: The Conversation Continues Will supply-chain disruptions remain an obstacle to growth? The Coming Creativity Boom: How human ingenuity will power the 2020s Has the Canadian dollar already reached its peak for the year? Building Bandwidth: Preparing Indigenous youth for a digital future Will a return to pre-pandemic retirement and job quitting levels worsen emerging labour shortages in Canada? Canadian tourism sector primed for early recovery after bleak year The immigration balancing act The Economic Pulse – June 2021 Edition Rebuilding Canada's labour market: The inclusive recovery imperative Canadian retailers better placed to weather COVID third wave
Seeing Green in the Oil Patch Canada’s Manufacturing, Wholesale and Transportation Sector (December 11, 2019) The recession roadblock: Graduating into a downturn can have long-term career consequences (November 21, 2019) Paging Dr. Data - How the coming skills revolution can transform healthcare (November 14, 2019) 2018 Provincial Economic Accounts (November 7, 2019) Energy (Still) Matters (October 28, 2019) Keeping Canada Younger: Immigration helps to hold back the demographic time bomb (September 18, 2019) Untapped Potential: Canada needs to close its immigrant wage gap (September 18, 2019) A snapshot of young entrepreneurship in Canada (September 3, 2019) Farmer 4.0 - How the coming skills revolution can transform agriculture (August 28, 2019) Trade Tensions Turning Up on US Factory Floor (June 24, 2019) Efforts to deleverage households are starting to pay off (June 17, 2019) Canada's MWT sector: Solid gains despite a rocky ride in 2018 (June 12, 2019) $600 billion in planned resource projects is riding on Canada’s project-review overhaul (June 5, 2019) Don’t expect a big jolt to growth if trade tensions ease (April 16, 2019) Family matters: the cost of having children on women's careers (March 21, 2019) Advantage women: how an automated future could play to women's strengths (March 5, 2019) The stage looks set for stronger Canadian wage growth in 2019 (January 30, 2019) Davos 2019: Globalization in a digital world (January 28, 2019) US government shutdown impact on Canada (January 24, 2019) Navigating 2019 - 9 big insights for the year ahead (January 3,( 2019)
Interest payments surged in Q3 as Canadian household's indebtedness looked heavier than previously reported (December 14, 2018) Alberta's oil cuts will reduce Canadian GDP modestly in 2019 (December 3, 2018) Canadian National GDP Accounts (November 30, 2018) 2017 Provincial economic accounts: Growth from coast to coast confirmed (November 8, 2018) Canada's MWT sector: Vibrant supply chains drive firm sectoral growth (November 7, 2018) Energy Matters - Canada's options for the 2020s (October 26, 2018) US National GDP Accounts (October 26, 2018) The USMCA: Manageable concessions, less uncertainty (October 1, 2018) Debt service took a bigger bite out of household income in the second quarter (September 14, 2018) Canada and Australia: The State of Bilateral Trade and Investment (July 10, 2018) What's the problem with Canada's youth labour market? (July 5, 2018) Potential U.S. auto import tariffs: the view from Canada (June 26, 2018) A winning combination for Canadian households’ indebtedness profile (June 21, 2018) The cost of credentials (June 18, 2018) Weighing the impact of U.S. steel and aluminum tariffs on Canada (May 31, 2018) Lost in Transportation: Putting the discount on Canadian heavy oil in context (May 9, 2018) 2017 provincial growth surprises on the upside (May 4, 2018) Alberta households will feel the most pressure from interest rate hikes (April 3, 2018) International Women's Day and Canadian Women: Mind the Gap(s) (March 7, 2018) CPTPP: an antidote to NAFTA flux? (March 7, 2018) Trade Deals and Agriculture: Not a game-changer but positive (March 1, 2018) Trudeau's State Visit to India: Time to leverage those people-to-people connections (February 15, 2018) Yes, Canadian Labour Markets Are Tight (February 14, 2018) Breakpoint: What Canada needs to consider to save NAFTA (January 22, 2018)