Canada’s Productivity Blueprint

Thorsten Koeppl – When Doves Become … Kiwis

From: Thorsten Koeppl To: Stephen S. Poloz Date: October 24, 2016 Re: When Doves Become … Kiwis This week, the Bank of Canada left interest rates unchanged.  Business as usual one might think.  But far from it.  In your remarks to the Standing Senate Committee on Banking, Trade and Commerce, you all but made the […]

C.D. Howe Institute Monetary Policy Council: Bank of Canada Should Hold Overnight Rate at 0.50 Percent for Six Months, Hike to 0.75 Percent by October 2017

October 13, 2016 — The C.D. Howe Institute’s Monetary Policy Council (MPC) today called for the Bank of Canada to keep its target for the overnight rate, the very short-term interest rate it targets for monetary policy purposes, at 0.50 percent at its next announcement on October 19, 2016.  Looking ahead, the Council said the Bank should hold the target at 0.50 percent over the next six months, and called for an increase to 0.75 percent in a year’s time.

The MPC provides an independent assessment of the monetary stance consistent with the Bank of Canada’s 2 percent inflation target. William Robson, the Institute’s President and CEO, chairs the Council.

Council members make recommendations for the Bank…

Jeremy Kronick – Negative Interest Rates

From: Jeremy Kronick To: Bank of Canada Date: September 22, 2016 Re:  Negative Interest Rates In a recent study, the Bank of Canada discussed the true nature of the effective lower bound for nominal interest rates and showed that it is not in fact zero, as was the widely-held assumption.  Furthermore, some countries are currently testing […]

Steve Ambler – Getting Monetary Policy Right as a Response to Oil Shocks

From: Steve Ambler To: The Bank of Canada Date: September 20, 2016 Re: Getting Monetary Policy Right as a Response to Oil Shocks Uncertainty is harming Alberta’s petroleum sector in many ways. Oil prices are likely to remain depressed until well into next year, though this result depends on many factors including world demand and the Saudi […]

C.D. Howe Institute Monetary Policy Council Says Bank of Canada Should Hold Overnight Rate at 0.50 Percent for Next Six Months, Hike to 0.75 Percent by September 2017

September 1, 2016 — The C.D. Howe Institute’s Monetary Policy Council (MPC) today called for the Bank of Canada to keep its target for the overnight rate, the very short-term interest rate it targets for monetary policy purposes, at 0.50 percent at its next announcement on September 7, 2016.  Looking ahead, the Council said the Bank should hold the target at 0.50 percent over the next six months, but called for an increase to 0.75 percent in a year’s time.

The MPC provides an independent assessment of the monetary stance consistent with the Bank of Canada’s 2 percent inflation target. William Robson, the Institute’s President and CEO, chairs the Council.

Council members make recommendations for the Bank…

Ripple Effects: Oil Price Shocks and Monetary Policy

August 30, 2016 – The effects of large oil price shocks on the Canadian economy are complex, as is the best response of monetary policy, but getting it wrong can be very costly, according to a new C.D. Howe Institute report. In “Ripple Effects: Oil Price Shocks and Monetary Policy,” author Steve Ambler argues that […]

Taking the Economic Pulse: An Improved Tool to Help Track Economic Cycles in Canada

A new business cycle measurement developed by a C.D. Howe analyst provides further evidence that there was no recession in 2015, according to a new Institute report. In “Taking the Economic Pulse: An Improved Tool to Help Track Economic Cycles in Canada,” author Jeremy Kronick fills a crucial data gap with a new and improved […]

C.D. Howe Institute Monetary Policy Council Says Bank of Canada Should Hold Overnight Rate at 0.50 for Next 12 Months

July 7, 2016 — The C.D. Howe Institute’s Monetary Policy Council (MPC) today called for the Bank of Canada to keep its target for the overnight rate, the very short-term interest rate it targets for monetary policy purposes, at 0.50 percent at its next announcement on July 13, 2016.  Looking ahead, the Council said the Bank should hold the target at 0.50 percent over the next 12 months.

The MPC provides an independent assessment of monetary stance consistent with the Bank of Canada’s 2 percent inflation target. William Robson, the Institute’s President and CEO, chairs the Council.

Council members make recommendations for the Bank of Canada’s upcoming interest-rate announcement, the subsequent…

In Britain or Ottawa, things get hairy when central bankers get political – Financial Post Op-Ed

The question as to what central bank “independence” means has arisen once more and not just in Canada. Bank of England Governor Mark Carney stepped into the Brexit debate and was accused of political interference. In India, the head of the central bank has decided not to seek re-appointment, with political controversy surrounding his tenure. When Bank of Canada Governor Stephen Poloz recently made comments relating to the federal budget he sparked debate over the bank’s independence.

This is far from a new issue. As early as the 1940s, Graham Towers, then the Bank of Canada’s governor, was accused of pandering to the government by keeping interest rates low, and other governors have skated near political controversy from time to…

Jeremy Kronick – Brexit: The First Real Test of Low Interest Rates

From: Jeremy Kronick To: Central Bankers Date: June 24, 2016 Re: Brexit – The First Real Test of Low Interest Rates The Great Recession of 2008/2009 caused central banks to slash interest rates to historic lows.  In light of the cross-border financial contagion happening at the time these were entirely appropriate decisions.  However, in the […]

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