ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

Skip to main content

Bank of Canada considered waiting until July to cut interest rates

Governor of the Bank of Canada Tiff Macklem speaks during a news conference in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang Governor of the Bank of Canada Tiff Macklem speaks during a news conference in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
Share
OTTAWA -

The Bank of Canada's governing council thought about waiting until July to lower interest rates but ultimately decided to cut earlier, the central bank's summary of deliberations reveals.

The summary details the discussions between governor Tiff Macklem and his deputies in the lead-up to the June 5 rate announcement at which the central bank lowered its key rate.

"While they recognized the risk that progress could stall -- as it had in the United States -- there was consensus that with four consecutive months of easing in core inflation and indicators suggesting continued downward momentum, there had been sufficient progress to warrant a first cut in the policy rate," the summary says.

The Bank of Canada's quarter-point rate cut was the first time the central bank lowered its policy rate since March 2020. It also marked a turning point in its fight against high inflation.

Ahead of the rate decision, most forecasters were expecting the central bank would deliver its first cut, though some were holding out for July.

Canada's inflation rate reached 2.7 per cent in April, while measures of underlying price pressures eased as well.

With its key rate now standing at 4.75 per cent, the summary reiterates the central bank's cautious approach, noting that it plans to take future interest rate decisions one at a time.

While one interest rate cut isn't expected to have a major affect on the economy, it signals the start of an easing cycle for the Bank of Canada.

The housing market in particular is expected to pick back up in the coming months after a marked slowdown in activity.

Economists will have their eyes on just how much the housing market heats up as interest rates continue to fall.

The Bank of Canada will have two more inflation reports to consider before its next interest rate decision scheduled for July 24.

The summary of deliberations details some of the risks discussed among the governing council, including a larger-than-expected economic pullback as a result of households renewing their mortgages at higher rates.

On the flip side, the central bank considered the risk that rate cuts could reignite the housing market.

The summary says the governing council is also paying attention to how population growth will continue to affect the economy and inflation.

"The timing and impact of government plans to unwind the rapid growth in non-permanent residents could affect the forecast for inflation and growth," the summary says.

The federal government is planning on curbing the share of temporary residents in the country to five per cent of the total population.

According to Statistics Canada, temporary residents represented 6.8 per cent of the population as of April 1.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 19, 2024.

CTVNews.ca ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

Since she was a young girl growing up in Vancouver, Ginny Lam says her mom Yat Hei Law made it very clear she favoured her son William, because he was her male heir.

The search for a missing six-year-old boy in Shamattawa is continuing Friday as RCMP hope recent tips can help lead to a happy conclusion.

BREAKING

BREAKING

The New Brunswick RCMP has issued an alert as officers search for an armed teenager in the Moncton and Shediac areas.

An Ontario man says it is 'unfair' to pay a $1,500 insurance surcharge because his four-year-old SUV is at a higher risk of being stolen.

Local Spotlight

They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.

Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.

A Good Samaritan in New Brunswick has replaced a man's stolen bottle cart so he can continue to collect cans and bottles in his Moncton neighbourhood.

David Krumholtz, known for roles like Bernard the Elf in The Santa Clause and physicist Isidor Rabi in Oppenheimer, has spent the latter part of his summer filming horror flick Altar in Winnipeg. He says Winnipeg is the most movie-savvy town he's ever been in.

Edmontonians can count themselves lucky to ever see one tiger salamander, let alone the thousands one local woman says recently descended on her childhood home.

Stay Connected