The National Bank of Canada

Light on the horizon for Canada?Canadian entrepreneurs are feeling warmer about the business climate, saying now that they are more confident than in the fall that they will grow in their sales this...

Range of the Week: 1.3000 – 1.3450Over the past week, we have gradually returned to normal trading volumes, with many investors having taken time off for the Holidays. At the start of the week,...

The year that has just wrapped up was once again volatile for energy prices. In 2016, WTI and Brent oil prices rose 46% and 53% respectively. The increase for the two main refined products was even...

U.S. key rate hikes increasingly likelyStatistics Canada had a major surprise for us on Friday, confirming that the economy picked up 53,700 jobs in December after a loss of 2,500 positions had been...

USD not far from peak Still-favourable yields mean the trade-weighted US dollar has room to run over the near term. Abovepotential U.S. GDP growth over the next couple of quarters and a resilient...

Canada – According to the Labour Force Survey (LFS), employment in December jumped 54K, easily topping consensus which was looking for a decline. Despite those massive gains, the jobless rate...

Foreign-exchange markets are gradually returning to normal trading volumes. Yesterday, the greenback weakened somewhat against the other main currencies, particularly against the Canadian dollar,...

Growth in U.S. manufacturing activityData released yesterday morning showed the strongest growth in U.S. manufacturing activity in close to two years, a reading that was well received by investors and...

One of the joys of the Holiday Season is the opportunity to say thank you and to wish you the very best for the New Year. Risk Management Solutions Group.

Italian lawmakers agreed yesterday to set aside up to €20 billion to support the country's banks as they struggle with financial problems. At the top of the list is Monte dei Paschi di Siena, the...

Bank of Japan stays the courseThe last word for 2016 fell to Japan’s central bank, which used the opportunity to strike a more upbeat tone on the country’s economic growth but kept its...

Canada – Manufacturing shipments dropped 0.8% in October as sales fell in 15 of the 21 broad industries. In real terms, sales sank 1.7% while inventories fell 0.7%, which do not bode well for...

Last week was marked by the U.S. Federal Reserve (Fed), which delivered a 25-basis point key rate increase. What shook up markets was the news that 11 of the 17 voting members of the Fed anticipate at...

Tension between China and the United StatesIt would appear that the relatively positive relations between the world’s two largest economies are gradually deteriorating. A few weeks ago,...

We should see a somewhat firmer open for the Australian equity market, with our call currently sitting at 5550 (+18 points). The fairly flat open this morning in the FX markets suggest futures...

Redrawing The Economic LandscapeAfter a relatively agitated week, markets appear to be in somewhat of a lull as the USD takes a breather in its climb this morning. There’s no denying that a...