The National Bank of Canada

The possibility of a first key rate increase by the Fed is leading investors to adopt a cautious approach. North American stock markets turned in their worst session in several weeks yesterday, while...

Having repeatedly warned a rate hike was coming before year-end, the Fed now finds itself, after October’s no-change decision, with one last shot to save face. But with inflation nowhere to be...

U.S. job data announced on Friday came in well above analysts’ expectations, leaving the door open now to a Fed rate hike as soon as December. The likelihood of a key rate increase at the next...

Still Too Much Black GoldYesterday, crude oil prices and the loonie gave back the gains they had recorded the day before. Crude oil prices fell by 3.3% following the announcement that Cushing crude...

The Loonie Takes Flight Thanks To Crude Oil PricesCrude oil prices jumped yesterday, without any other apparent reason than the interruption of production in Libya following military tensions. The...

The Greenback Continues to ClimbOn Monday, the loonie pulled back slightly because of weak crude oil prices and disappointing Chinese economic data. Chinese manufacturing activity figures, as measured...

Employment Data WeekWe’ll have to wait until Friday for the release of employment data from both sides of the 49th parallel. In the United States, a rebound to 180,000 positions created is...

Oil prices are beginning to find a floor, with WTI closing just above US$46/barrel on Friday for a return of 3.5% on the week. Black gold has been moving within a range of $43 and $51 per barrel for...

The overwhelming focus was on the decision on monetary policy by the U.S. Federal Reserve (the Fed). Even if, as expected by the market, the committee did not raise the federal funds rate, the...

In its key rate decision yesterday, the Fed confirmed that a rate increase remained a possibility in December. The deciding factor will be inflation, which Janet Yellen and the FOMC expect to increase...

All Eyes on the Fed at 2 p.mMarkets are definitely eager to learn whether the Fed continues to think that it will be able to raise its key rate before the end of the year, which is now considered only...

Slowdowns in the U.S. and the U.K.Yesterday, we learned that New Home Sales south of the border had slowed in September, bringing the annual average to 468,000, or below the forecast of 550,000. This...

Canadian inflation at 1% for SeptyemberOn Friday, we learned that the Canadian Consumer Price Index had risen less than expected in September or 1.0% vs. 1.1%, due to low energy prices and sluggish...

Energy prices fell last week, with WTI, Brent and diesel dropping 5.3%, 4.8% and 2.7% respectively. A decision announced on Thursday by the European Central Bank (BCE) led to a sharp devaluation of...

It was the central banks that garnered the most attention last week. On Wednesday the Bank of Canada (BoC) announced that it was maintaining its key interest rate. The BoC also took the opportunity...

Canada – The consumer price index was down 0.2% in September, allowing the year-on-year inflation rate to fall to 1.0%. In seasonally adjusted terms, CPI fell 0.2% driven by the transportation...