The National Bank of Canada

48 Hours to Reach an AgreementEuropean and Greek leaders are giving themselves 48 hours to hammer out an agreement to allow Greece to meet its financial obligations at the end of the month. The latest...

The most important economic news in the U.S. last week was clearly the press conference of the Federal Reserve (the Fed). Committee members decided to maintain its current monetary policy, leaving...

Renewed Optimism in EuropeOptimism is back in the markets this morning, and there is hope that the latest Greek government proposal will work out. Whereas previous versions seemed devoid of real...

Greenback under pressureJudging by markets’ reactions, the Fed’s rate announcement yesterday was another disappointment. Fed Chair Janet Yellen refused to commit to a firm schedule for...

The U.S. real estate market is on solid ground! At least that's what data released yesterday show on the whole, especially given that the monthly rise of 11.8% in the number of building permits augurs...

Energy prices in US$ posted positive returns last week; WTI crude, diesel and gasoline were up 1.8%, 0.9% and 4.6%, respectively.Last Wednesday the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) released data...

All eyes on the European Union summitThe drama in Greece is once again front and centre, with the possibility of a stalemate increasingly reflected in markets. Spanish, Portuguese and Italian bond...

Last week, the DXY index closed the week down 1.4%. The loonie benefited from the broad-based drop in the U.S. dollar to post a gain of over 120 points on the week. Bond markets around the world were...

The hopes of seeing an agreement between the representatives of the European Union and the Greek Government are growing slimmer every day. On Sunday, negotiations were broken off after only 45...

Meltdown in bonds continuesAfter several straight days without a perceptible trend on stock markets, the various indexes saw substantial gains yesterday. Encouraged by a wave of optimism from the...

The Bond Market is FallingGiven the absence of major economic news out of the U.S. and Canada yesterday, markets did nothing on both sides of the 49th parallel, continuing their morose trajectory that...

Last week, energy prices in U.S. dollars continued to decline. WTI crude, North Sea crude and diesel fell -2.1%, -3.5% and -4.6%, respectively. The latest meeting of the Organization of Petroleum...

A Pleasant Surprise From the Constructor SectorThe release of Housing Starts figures in Canada yesterday showed that the construction sector rebounded somewhat in May. On an annualized basis, more...

The USD Change in Nonfarm Payrolls report (May) released last Friday proved the resiliency of the leading economy in the world, which seems to have rebounded after a difficult start to the year. Last...

Same old, same old in Greece…that the current monetary policy is proceeding well. Liquidity injected by the ECB combined with a rock-bottom key rate have allowed economic activity and inflation...

Crude oil hits a six-month highA barrel of crude oil for July delivery closed at the highest mark of the year yesterday. An anticipated decline in U.S. inventories, combined with a nosediving...